101:332,00@@@@@| 101:332,01[' ]| 101:332,02[A ]| In the latter part of fifty-nine, I was stationed at an up-country place ~~ 101:332,03[A ]| a place so out of the way, and of so little importance now, that the name 101:332,04[A ]| is not worth writing. It had been a bit of a Diggings at some earlier 101:332,05[A ]| period than that of my banishment, for so I always considered my forced 101:332,06[A ]| residence in that slow hole; but at the time I speak of it was deserted 101:332,07[A ]| by nearly everyone except the business people, and how they managed to 101:332,08[A ]| live on one another I never could guess, there were so very few of them. 101:332,09[A ]| A butcher, a baker, a storekeeper, a public-house, a shoemaker, half 101:332,10[A ]| a dozen shanties, and not ~~ all told ~~ a dozen diggers left. Such a township 101:332,11[A ]| was not very likely to be a flourishing one; it was not even upon comfortable 101:332,12[A ]| terms with itself to be "rowdy," and so Ned*Grover and I had 101:332,13[A ]| almost nothing to do in the way of our business, and we spent the most 101:332,14[A ]| of our time cursing our ill-luck on the broad of our backs, reclining at 101:332,15[A ]| full length upon our straw mattresses, which the brand of Her*Majesty's 101:332,16[A ]| broad arrow did not make one bit softer. Sometimes a brother trap would 101:332,17[A ]| spend a night with us on his way with despatches to some further up 101:332,18[A ]| station perhaps, and then we managed to get up a little excitement over a 101:332,19[A ]| game at all-fours, or a gossip about old times, or a round of abuse at the 101:332,20[A ]| Inspector maybe; and such chances, with an occasional ride into the 101:332,21[A ]| surrounding bush country, or a stroll down the dead-and-alive street, were 101:332,22[A ]| all that circumstances afforded us to keep life from fairly stagnating ~~ with 101:332,23[A ]| me, at least, for even this dreary monotonous existence could not break 101:332,24[A ]| down Ned's happy temperament. He was the funniest devil alive. He was 101:332,25[A ]| like a cat or a monkey, was Ned*Grover. It did not seem natural to him 101:332,26[A ]| to rest quietly anywhere, and when he did manage to lie still for an hour 101:332,27[A ]| or two during these horrid long hot afternoons, he made up for it after 101:332,28[A ]| by an additional caper round the premises, or up a neighbouring tree, so 101:332,29[A ]| comical that one, however sulky he might be, could not help laughing for 101:332,30[A ]| the life of him. He was quite a little fellow, and as light has he was little, 101:332,31[A ]| and withal young enough to have scarcely forgotten the tricks of his 101:332,32[A ]| school days; and off the stage I never saw his equal at tumbling or 101:332,33[A ]| vaulting, or standing on his head in the most out of the way places, and 101:332,34[A ]| such like performances. We got on famously, did Ned and I; for he took 101:332,35[A ]| in the most perfect good temper all my growlings and disagreeable moods, 101:332,36[A ]| doing his very best, poor fellow, to amuse me as well as please himself; 101:332,37[A ]| indeed I do not know whatever I should have done at that end of the 101:332,38[A ]| world station if it had not been for little Ned*Grover. 101:332,39[A ]| One afternoon the sun was blazing down "dead nuts" on our iron roof, 101:332,40[A ]| making the room like a very oven, and Ned and myself were stretched 101:332,41[A ]| each upon his mattress at opposite sides of the apartment. I smoked till 101:332,42[A ]| I was tired, and I tried to sleep, but it was no go; as to reading ~~ whew! 101:332,43[A ]| I do not believe there was a book within fifty miles, and at last my 101:332,44[A ]| fidgety temper could stand it no longer, so I bounced up, swearing like 101:332,45[A ]| a trooper. 101:332,45@a | "Curse such a country as this! By Jupiter, it was never made 101:332,46@a | to be inhabited! Fleas at night till your hide is a perfect blister, and 101:332,47@a | flies in the day ten million times worse than ever there were in Egypt! 101:332,48@a | Who the devil could sleep or lie still here? They are into your eyes, and 101:332,49@a | they are up your nose, and they are down your back; and, by the lord 101:332,50@a | Harry, if you open your mouth to complain of them, they are down your 101:332,51@a | throat by dozens!" 101:332,52[A ]| Ned was lying as quiet and still as he always was,, when he was quiet at 101:332,53[A ]| all, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, and his hands clasped under his head, 101:332,54@b | "I would give sixpence halfpenny in coppers," 101:332,54[A ]| he said, 101:332,54@b | "if I was as loose on 101:332,55@b | my pins as them fellows, Miles. Look at that chap up there sticking on, 101:332,56@b | feet up; and hang me if he is not scratching his ear with one of his hind legs 101:332,57@b | with the greatest ease in the world! There he goes on the window now, 101:332,58@b | dancing a hornpipe on his back!" 101:332,59@a | "I wish the devil was dancing a hornpipe on your back, you blessed 101:332,60@a | fool!" 101:332,60[A ]| I roared, as one of the wretches flew down my throat, and I with 101:332,61[A ]| difficulty swallowed him, and I barely recovered the effects of the dose to 101:332,62[A ]| see Ned bolt up in his bed like a galvanised corpse, turn half a dozen 101:332,63[A ]| summersaults across the floor and out of the door, and alight in the 101:332,64[A ]| middle of one of them on the back of his horse, that was quietly grazing 101:332,65[A ]| in front of the house, and which, knowing it was Ned's usual time for 101:332,66[A ]| watering him, as well as being quite accustomed to his funny ways, turned 101:332,67[A ]| his head and proceeded methodically and in a matter of fact sort of way 101:332,68[A ]| toward the water-hole. When my mate passed out of view he was hanging 101:332,69[A ]| over the back of his charger like a limp bolster, his legs at one side, 101:332,70[A ]| his arms at the other, dangling as if there was not a spark of life in 101:332,71[A ]| him. 101:332,72[A ]| As I turned away with a sigh of positive envy at Ned's unfailing enjoyment 101:332,73[A ]| of life under its most depressing influences, I confronted a stout brawny bold 101:332,74[A ]| looking woman, who had entered with a bundle of shirts, &c. She was 101:332,75[A ]| our washerwoman, the mother of a large family, and the wife of a man 101:332,76[A ]| who did not bear the best character in the world; he was supposed to be 101:332,77[A ]| a lazy loafing customer, who would rather drink than work, but as his 101:332,78[A ]| wife was an active pushing woman, and had the washing of most of the 101:332,79[A ]| bachelors in the place, besides selling a drop on the sly, the family had 101:332,80[A ]| always full and plenty, so it was no person's business but his wife's if 101:332,81[A ]| he did not choose to assist her in maintaining them. 101:332,81@v | "I say, constable," 101:332,82[A ]| she said, as she placed her washing on the table, 101:332,82@v | "I have a word or two to 101:332,83@v | say to you, if there is no*one about." 101:332,84@a | "There is no*one here," 101:332,84[A ]| I replied; 101:332,84@a | "Ned has just gone to water his 101:332,85@a | horse." 101:332,86@v | "Well, I am terribly oneasy about that man of mine this good while 101:332,87@v | back; but faix, he is goin' beyond the bounds now, and to tell the truth, 102:332,01@v | I am afraid he is up to something queer; and though, dear tells, he is little 102:332,02@v | help to me any way, I would not like to be puttin' a rope round his neck 102:332,03@v | neither." 102:332,04@a | "What is up with him then, mother! ~~ out with it." 102:332,05@v | "Oh, I have nothing to out, only suspicion, and faix I do not know what 102:332,06@v | I am suspicious about, but his goin's on are very strange. In the first 102:332,07@v | place, he goes away every night as soon as the dark sets in, and never 102:332,08@v | comes back till gettin' for daybreak in the mornin', and then he mostly 102:332,09@v | sleeps all day, not eatin' a bit in the house lately." 102:332,10@a | "Deuce a strangeness I see about that!" 102:332,10[A ]| I responded; 102:332,10@a | "he is a lazy 102:332,11@a | idle hound, and finding you do the work so well, he leaves it to you, and 102:332,12@a | spends his nights drinking or gambling, or both, in one of the shanties." 102:332,13@v | "No, he does not! I thought so at first, and I got my brother Jack to spy 102:332,14@v | round, but the divil a hut on the place he sets foot in, unless it be for a 102:332,15@v | minnit or two; and more betoken," 102:332,15[A ]| she added, lowering her voice to a 102:332,16[A ]| whisper, 102:332,16@v | "he is findin' cash somewhere; I found a plant of his to-day that 102:332,17@v | astonished me!" 102:332,18@a | "Well, what do you want me to do? I have no hold on the man." 102:332,19@v | "Watch him for me; you have divilish little to do, and I would rather you would 102:332,20@v | find it out ~~ if there is anything to be found out ~~ than another, for I am 102:332,21@v | sure you would not be harder on him than you could help, and maybe it will 102:332,22@v | save him from the gallows!" 102:332,23@a | "I will have to take Grover in, you know," 102:332,23[A ]| I said. 102:332,24@v | "Oh, all right, he is a good hearted little chap; but keep quiet as you 102:332,25@v | can." 102:332,26[A ]| Promising silence and all our efforts, I saw the woman off, and when 102:332,27[A ]| Grover returned, I told him all she said; and glad of any relief from our 102:332,28[A ]| tedious evenings, we arranged to commence our espial that very night, and 102:332,29[A ]| did so; and by dint of great circumspection, succeeded in following the 102:332,30[A ]| fellow to the top of a precipitous and rocky descent, where we completely 102:332,31[A ]| lost the sound of his footsteps, which he had not hitherto attempted to 102:332,32[A ]| smother, never once dreaming, of course, that any*one was in his wake. 102:332,33[A ]| A rough and tumble journey we had hitherto had of it too; over logs and 102:332,34[A ]| roots and against tree branches and bushes, and now it was quite hopeless 102:332,35[A ]| that we could do anything more in the dark. The spot where we stood 102:332,36[A ]| was all of two miles from the camp, and so concluding to return for the 102:332,37[A ]| present, we scrambled back. Early morning, however, saw both Ned and 102:332,38[A ]| I back in the same spot, with a full determination of having a regular 102:332,39[A ]| hunt for Jim*Dickson's hiding place, for, of course, we began now to 102:332,40[A ]| have suspicions that the wife was right. What lawful object could a man 102:332,41[A ]| have in spending his nights in a wild gully, for such was the vicinity to 102:332,42[A ]| the place where we lost our man. On arriving at this spot again we hid 102:332,43[A ]| ourselves, and had soon the satisfaction of seeing Jim pass within a short 102:332,44[A ]| distance on his way home. 102:332,45@b | "D***, it Miles!" 102:332,45[A ]| shouted little Ned, as Jim went out of hearing. 102:332,45@b | "I have 102:332,46@b | got it! it is whiskey, that is what it is, and most likely too." 102:332,46[A ]| What a 102:332,47[A ]| singular thing that the idea of an illicit still had not struck either of us 102:332,48[A ]| before; but we made up for it now by an increased determination to get 102:332,49[A ]| to the bottom of Jim*Dickson's secret, be it what it might. 102:332,50[A ]| Day had fairly broken now, and we seated ourselves on a log until the 102:332,51[A ]| sun had quite risen, consoling ourselves meanwhile with a pipe. As soon 102:332,52[A ]| as the brilliant beams of the day god streamed over the tree-tops we moved 102:332,53[A ]| toward the precipitous descent with an intention of going down and 102:332,54[A ]| having a look through the gully from which Jim had assuredly come; but 102:332,55[A ]| reaching over the edge of a broad rock that finished the range upon which 102:332,56[A ]| we stood, Ned and I distinctly perceived a hazy blue atmosphere floating 102:332,57[A ]| far down below us among the tumbled granite boulders. Perhaps had we 102:332,58[A ]| not been suspicious of a "still" this appearance might have escaped our 102:332,59[A ]| observation, or been ascribed to the same origin as the hazy earth emanations 102:332,60[A ]| so often seen dazzling and tremulous near the surface on a hot 102:332,61[A ]| Australian day, even although this was early morning, and by no means 102:332,62[A ]| hot enough to have caused any such appearance. Notice it, however, we 102:332,63[A ]| both did, and at once, while Ned's exclamation of 102:332,63@b | "smoke, by Jupiter 102:332,64@b | Miles!" 102:332,64[A ]| only gave utterance to my own ideas on the matter. 102:332,65@a | "I believe it is, Ned, only not very fresh smoke. You see the confined 102:332,66@a | place it is in prevents it clearing away very rapidly." 102:332,67@b | "Of course, he is not such an ass as to leave the fire burning, and I dare 102:332,68@b | say if we had been a few hours later there would not have been a sign of 102:332,69@b | smoke; and now see here, Miles, I am going down here to take a ""lunar"": 102:332,70@b | tumbling head over heels is more in my way than yours, so you just sit 102:332,71@b | down and wait till I come back." 102:332,72[A ]| I demurred a little to this, suggesting the possibility of trying to find a 102:332,73[A ]| safer descent and expressing a fear that he should break his neck. 102:332,74@b | "Divil a fear!" 102:332,74[A ]| said the harum-scarum young scamp; 102:332,74@b | "I can hang on 102:332,75@b | by my eyebrows ~~ and them that is born to be hanged will not be drowned 102:332,76@b | you know," 102:332,76[A ]| and so saying the laughing Ned disappeared over the edge of 102:332,77[A ]| the rock. 102:332,78[A ]| He was not very long gone, although my impatience made the time seem 102:332,79[A ]| longer; and when he did come, it was very evident from his merry face 102:332,80[A ]| that he had made some discovery 102:332,81@b | "Come on, Miles!" 102:332,81[A ]| said Ned, 102:332,81@b | "I have sprung the plant, and found a 102:332,82@b | very good road for you too, without your running the risk of breaking 102:332,83@b | your precious bones." 102:332,84[A ]| Down we went then, but taking a more circuitous route, and at length 102:332,85[A ]| we came to a clear, bright, rippling stream of pure water, right into which 102:332,86[A ]| to my entire astonishment, went my volatile mate. 102:332,87@b | "Do not be afraid of wetting your boots." 102:332,87[A ]| he said: 102:332,87@b | "but Jim is not half 102:332,88@b | cunning enough. Although he drowns his tracks here in water, as 102:332,89@b | soon as he crosses he keeps on the same path. Look how worn it is!" 101:333,01[A ]| Over the stream then, and all at once I followed my mate into a good-sized 101:333,02[A ]| cave, if it might be so called, for it was rather a \shed\ formed of rocks 101:333,03[A ]| tumbled against and fallen over one another, and not a regular hollow in a 101:333,04[A ]| rock or under one; however, a more suitable place for the purpose of 101:333,05[A ]| illicit distillation, considering the quiet loneliness of the spot, could 101:333,06[A ]| scarcely be discovered. 101:333,07[A ]| The stream to which I have alluded ran right across one end of the 101:333,08[A ]| "arcade," the other was filled up with a huge rough rock chimney, so 101:333,09[A ]| overhung and trellised with trees and lichens as to be completely hidden 101:333,10[A ]| on the outside; while all around the locality granites lay tumbled, and 101:333,11[A ]| piles, and tossed in such numbers as to forbid the vicinity of any animal 101:333,12[A ]| not particularly sure-footed. The still, although of rough formation, was 101:333,13[A ]| in complete working order. The boiler stood over the hot ashes, among 101:333,14[A ]| which still remained red embers, and the head and worm were attached; 101:333,15[A ]| and the worm carried its convolutions down through a large hogshead of 101:333,16[A ]| cold water, discharging the "mountain dew" by a pipe near the bottom 101:333,17[A ]| into a vessel for the purpose. Close to this vessel stood a pannikin, and 101:333,18[A ]| close to the pannikin lay a pile of empty bags, that looked suspiciously 101:333,19[A ]| like being used for a pillow by some lounger, who found the vicinity of the 101:333,20[A ]| pannikin and the grog convenient. Along one side of the cave lay a number 101:333,21[A ]| of kegs and barrels, some full and some empty, and a dirty lamp was 101:333,22[A ]| suspended from one of the lichen roots which hung from the roof. 101:333,23@b | "Now, what do you think of this?" 101:333,23[A ]| inquired Ned, squatting himself 101:333,24[A ]| down on the bags. 101:333,24@b | "I guess, my hearty, Jim knows how to make himself 101:333,25@b | comfortable ~~ the pillow is devilish near the spirits anyhow. And so here is 101:333,26@b | your health, Jim*Dickson, and long life to you!" 101:333,27[A ]| And Ned handed me the pannikin; and I must say that it was first-rate 101:333,28[A ]| tack that the lazy Jim manufactured in his granite cave in the gully. 101:333,29@b | "And what are we going to do next?" 101:333,29[A ]| was the inquiry of my funny 101:333,30[A ]| mate. 101:333,31@a | "Seize, of course," 101:333,31[A ]| I replied. 101:333,32@b | "Well, but to bring it plainly home to my gentleman, we had better 101:333,33@b | come to-night and catch him at it; and I have got a notion, Miles, we can 101:333,34@b | have some fun over it." 101:333,35@a | "Oh, you are always at your d*** fun; if we wait until to-night, who 101:333,36@a | knows, but it will get wind, and the stiff be off!" 101:333,37@b | "Devil a fear! Can not we take it in turns and watch to-day?" 101:333,38@a | "Well, as you like; and what is this blessed fun of yours now? Dear 101:333,39@a | knows, you will get much fun out of Jim ~~ the lazy, lounging, stupid 101:333,40@a | fool!" 101:333,41@b | "Oh, I do not know! I saw him getting a nobbler at Bain's the other 101:333,42@b | day, and his hand shook so he could hardly raise the glass to his head. I 101:333,43@b | believe the drink is playing the deuce with his nerves; at any rate I have an 101:333,44@b | idea." 101:333,45[A ]| What Ned's idea was I will leave the scene itself to tell, only mentioning 101:333,46[A ]| that during the day he procured from the slaughter-yard a handsome, 101:333,47[A ]| glossy-black bullock's tail, and that before Jim's time of commencing business, 101:333,48[A ]| both he and I were secreted behind the barrels in the cave. 101:333,49[A ]| When Jim did arrive it was after dark, and his first care, after paying 101:333,50[A ]| his addresses to the pannikin, was to light the fire and arrange all his 101:333,51[A ]| material, so as to get as much as possible "run through" during the night. 101:333,52[A ]| This was not accomplished, however, without several additional pulls at 101:333,53[A ]| the attractive tin pannikin, so that by the time the spirit began to fairly 101:333,54[A ]| "run," Jim was quite ready for the bags, on to which he tumbled, after 101:333,55[A ]| having, with a last exertion of his equilibrial powers, made up the fire to 101:333,56[A ]| last awhile; in short, he was regularly drunk; indeed, I very much doubt 101:333,57[A ]| if ever he had been really sober for many a day. 101:333,58[A ]| As soon as his loud snoring proclaimed a heavy sleep, we crept out and 101:333,59[A ]| got our legs stretched, they feeling rather cramped after our awkward and 101:333,60[A ]| continued hiding among the barrels; nor did we fail either to patronise the 101:333,61[A ]| warm spirit that now trickled slowly into the overflowing pannikin, and 101:333,62[A ]| then, according to Ned's orders, I resumed my quarters behind the sleeping 101:333,63[A ]| inebriate. 101:333,64[A ]| I was never a very amiable chap, as I may have hinted before, or one at 101:333,65[A ]| all likely to be amused by what Ned*Grover denominated "fun," but I 101:333,66[A ]| must in this particular instance plead guilty to feeling a little more interest 101:333,67[A ]| than I did generally in Ned's pranks. His "Idea" was certainly an amusing 101:333,68[A ]| one, and from my knowledge of Jim*Dickson's ignorance and drunken 101:333,69[A ]| stupidity, I had no doubt it would be most successful; in short, as the 101:333,70[A ]| old saying goes ~~ 101:333,70@z | "as good as a play." 101:333,70[A ]| Behind the sleeper, then, I ensconced 101:333,71[A ]| myself, provided with a stick wrapped in calico to prevent it from 101:333,72[A ]| rattling against the kegs, through the interstices of which I was instructed 101:333,73[A ]| to poke him up at the necessary moments. 101:333,74[A ]| Little inclined as I am to risibility on general occasions, I confess 101:333,75[A ]| that I was obliged to succumb to the utter absurdity of Ned's 101:333,76[A ]| appearance when he had arranged himself for the opening scene in the 101:333,77[A ]| programme of his performance. Directly opposite to the sleeping distiller 101:333,78[A ]| my mate had placed a small barrel on end upon the top of a larger one, 101:333,79[A ]| and on the top of the upper he squatted himself. He was dressed in his 101:333,80[A ]| usual police form, for as he shrewdly remarked, 101:333,80@b | "I have no doubt he 101:333,81@b | shakes in his shoes often enough thinking of the traps, so it will be nothing 101:333,82@b | wonderful that he should dream about them." 101:333,82[A ]| Ned had taken the precaution 101:333,83[A ]| to lower the flame of the lamp so that too minute an examination 101:333,84[A ]| could not be taken of his person. Still there was quite sufficient 101:333,85[A ]| light to show his figure and occupation distinctly, and enough of obscurity 101:333,86[A ]| to give a weird appearance to his original "make*up." 101:333,87[A ]| He had blackened his face with some soot from the chimney, and 101:333,88[A ]| combed his shaggy hair until it rested in a tangled mass upon his forehead; 101:333,89[A ]| and in additon to this the bullock's tail was artistically fastened 102:333,01[A ]| under his jumper behind, while a string attached to it was tied around 102:333,02[A ]| his right arm with the intention of giving an occasional movement to the 102:333,03[A ]| caudal appendage. And there sat Ned*Grover, busily engaged in combing 102:333,04[A ]| out the long black shiny hair of his hair, making over the operation faces 102:333,05[A ]| so comical and so baboon-like as only Ned*Grover himself could make. 102:333,06[A ]| If you can fancy a monkey dressed in police uniform, you can fancy my 102:333,07[A ]| mate at that moment; and the best of it was certainly that he was quite 102:333,08[A ]| as active as any monkey, and capable of carrying out the imitation of the 102:333,09[A ]| movements of that animal to perfection. 102:333,10[A ]| My portion of the performance was now to begin, so as well as I could 102:333,11[A ]| I commenced poking Jim in the ribs with my muffled stick. 102:333,11@c | "Ugh!" 102:333,12[A ]| he grunted as I at length succeeded in disturbing the steadiness of his 102:333,13[A ]| repose. 102:333,13@c | "Ugh!" 102:333,13[A ]| and over he rolled partially muttering something about 102:333,14[A ]| the "stuff" being 102:333,14@c | "d*** strong!" 102:333,14[A ]| Another poke or two, and drunk as 102:333,15[A ]| he was some consciousness of something being up appeared to strike him 102:333,16[A ]| for with a stupid glare he sat half up and peered frightfully around him. 102:333,17[A ]| The first object upon which his eyes rested was of course Ned*Grover on 102:333,18[A ]| his pedestal, grinning hideously, and still busily engaged with his tail 102:333,19[A ]| and with a gasp of horror ~~ the terrified man fell back against the barrel 102:333,20[A ]| behind him. Here my facetious mate looked down on him admiringly 102:333,21[A ]| nodded and grinned, and lashed his tail about in a most frisky manner 102:333,22[A ]| and finally skipped with consummate agility from the barrel upon which 102:333,23[A ]| he had lately balanced himself to another a little more in the shade. One 102:333,24[A ]| might have almost pitied Jim*Dickson. His face was like ashes, and the 102:333,25[A ]| drops of perspiration stood upon his forehead. I thought he was going 102:333,26[A ]| to swoon as he closed his eyes after Ned had left his perch; but he presently 102:333,27[A ]| opened them again, and to his great satisfaction found the "thing" 102:333,28[A ]| had disappeared. 102:333,28@c | "It was a dream!" 102:333,28[A ]| he whispered to himself, stretching 102:333,29[A ]| out his hand toward the pannikin, and after having a long pull at its 102:333,30[A ]| contents, he fell back again on the cask with a sigh of relief. 102:333,31@a | "Of course it was a dream. Do not you believe it!" 102:333,31[A ]| whispered I 102:333,32[A ]| behind him as I gave him another poke. 102:333,33@b | "Do not you believe it, Jim*Dickson? Do not you believe it, Jim*Dickson?" 102:333,34[A ]| repeated Ned, bounding to the floor, creeping before the horrified 102:333,35[A ]| man on all fours for a bit, tossing and shaking his shock of hair over 102:333,36[A ]| his eyes, and eventually turning one of his favourite summersaults on his 102:333,37[A ]| way to the top of his keg, where he alighted like a veritable demon grinning 102:333,38[A ]| and yabbering to that extent that he very nearly succeeded in frightening 102:333,39[A ]| himself. 102:333,40@c | "Oh Lord!" 102:333,40[A ]| ejaculated Jim faintly, and under his breath, as his hands 102:333,41[A ]| fell helplessly beside him; 102:333,41@c | "Oh Lord! it has come at last! oh! if I could 102:333,42@c | only waken up and say one prayer?" 102:333,43@a | "Prayer!" 102:333,43[A ]| said I. 102:333,44@b | "Prayer!" 102:333,44[A ]| shrieked Ned*Grover, switching his tail about fearfully. 102:333,45@a | "Do not you try it on, Jim*Dickson!" 102:333,45[A ]| continued I, giving him an extra 102:333,46[A ]| prod or two. 102:333,47@b | "Do not you try it on, Jim*Dickson!" 102:333,47[A ]| repeated Ned, who, as he could not 102:333,48[A ]| quite distinctly hear Jim's low muttering, took his cue from me. Here 102:333,49[A ]| Jim made a desperate grab at the pannikin again, and as he drained it to 102:333,50[A ]| the bottom Ned*Grover's shriek of demoniac laughter echoed among the 102:333,51[A ]| rocks like the voices of twenty. 102:333,51@c | "Ha, ha, ha!" 102:333,51[A ]| roared he, and 102:333,51@a | "Ha, ha, 102:333,52@a | ha!" 102:333,52[A ]| roared I, and 102:333,52@x | "Ha, ha, ha!" 102:333,52[A ]| roared the echoes until the cave rang 102:333,53[A ]| again. 102:333,54@c | "It is not real!" 102:333,54[A ]| said Jim, half fortified by the stimulant, and sitting 102:333,55[A ]| up staring at the figure of Ned, who now used all his wonderful powers 102:333,56[A ]| of saltation to increase the horror of Him. 102:333,57@c | "I know it is not real! it is the horrors I have got! oh! oh! if I could 102:333,58@c | only say a prayer!" 102:333,58[A ]| and here he clasped his hands weakly, his glaring 102:333,59[A ]| eyeballs following the skippings of Ned*Grover, who was now before him, 102:333,60[A ]| now behind him, now on the top of a barrel, now up the chimney, grinning 102:333,61[A ]| and yabbering, and chattering, and gesticulating, and twitching his 102:333,62[A ]| long black tail about certainly like nothing human. 102:333,63[A ]| As for me, I was by this time fairly \9hors*de*combat\ myself, and laughed 102:333,64[A ]| as I have not laughed since, the noise, which poor Jim of course believed 102:333,65[A ]| entirely imaginary, only tending to increase his confusion. 102:333,66@c | "Oh!" 102:333,66[A ]| he ejaculated, swaying himself back and forward, 102:333,66@c | "I was afeard 102:333,67@c | it was coming! To see them jumping about me, and I can not remember a 102:333,68@c | single prayer, even the creed, ""I believe."" Oh! oh! the black devil and 102:333,69@c | the blue devil, and" ~~ 102:333,69@a | "and the white devil!" 102:333,69[A ]| added I, coming from my 102:333,70[A ]| hiding place, as I thought it high time to make an end of the silly business; 102:333,71[A ]| and my appearance made an end of Jim at any rate, for overcome 102:333,72[A ]| by it, and more by his powerful doses of whisky, he fell back on his bags, 102:333,73[A ]| and lay there for several hours in a drunken sleep, which we did not 102:333,74[A ]| disturb. The still was confiscated, and the distiller fined, and we have had 102:333,75[A ]| many a laugh since at "Jim*Dickson's fit of horrors." 202:005,41@@@@@| 202:005,41[' ]| 202:005,42[A ]| A more bleak and dreary night I have scarcely encountered since I 202:005,43[A ]| came to the colonies. It was mid-winter, in what had been a peculiarly 202:005,44[A ]| wet, miserable season, and I was on my way homewards from a distant 202:005,45[A ]| station, whence I had been obliged to ride thirty long miles over an unsettled 202:005,46[A ]| bush country, and the most wretched bridle tracks imaginable. 202:005,47[A ]| It was in New*South*Wales, not far from the border district Kurriwroo, 202:005,48[A ]| and I had skirted Yathong*Creek for the most part of my route. 202:005,49[A ]| I have said it was a bleak and dreary night, and so you must have said 202:005,50[A ]| too, could you have seen and felt its wild sky, and its cold piercing wind. 202:005,51[A ]| No rain was falling, but such floods had swept the face of the country, 202:005,52[A ]| that every level spot lay dank and sloppy like a swamp, and the roar of 202:005,53[A ]| the rushing creek was loud as distant thunder, and sadly sounding as the 202:005,54[A ]| moan of departing life. 202:005,55[A ]| There was a moon ~~ a full one too ~~ that was occasionally laid bare by 202:005,56[A ]| the driving clouds. Cold and watery, she looked down upon the wet earth, 202:005,57[A ]| and, pale and shimmering, was reflected on the rippling current of the 202:005,58[A ]| strong creek, as it swept hurriedly along, as if hastening to leave so dreary 202:005,59[A ]| a scene behind it. In short, I was low spirited; and who would not have 202:005,60[A ]| been, cold and tired and hungry as I was, with six miles yet to ride, and 202:005,61[A ]| the night growing every moment colder and more bleak. 202:005,62@x | "Coo-ee!" 202:005,62[A ]| Good heavens, what a cry it was! It pierced into my 202:005,63[A ]| very marrow, and even my horse stopped suddenly, and laid his ears back 202:005,64[A ]| to listen. Where did it come from? From the other side of the Yathong, 202:005,65[A ]| where stretched out, far and gleaming in the cold moonshine, a level 202:005,66[A ]| swamp. Yes, it did appear to ring away in echoes over the swamp. A 202:005,67[A ]| horrible sound it was, but of too brief an utterance to satisfy me confidently 202:005,68[A ]| from whence it had certainly proceeded. 202:005,69@x | "Coo-ee!" 202:005,69[A ]| Again, piercing, shrill and startling, it only awoke the 202:005,70[A ]| echoes, once more to die out sadly in the distant swamp, and leave me 202:005,71[A ]| trembling with unanalysed horror, that appeared to have seized hold of 202:005,72[A ]| me with a grip of iron. I listened again for a repetition of the sound, but 202:005,73[A ]| it came not; and it was at length my own 202:005,73@a | "Coo-ee!" 202:005,73[A ]| that answered 202:005,74[A ]| sharply on the cold night wind, and fled drearily over the roaring creek. 202:005,75@a | "Coo-ee!" 202:005,75[A ]| and 202:005,75@a | "Coo-ee!" 202:005,75[A ]| again and again; but no response ~~ nothing 202:005,76[A ]| but the surging water and the groaning of overhanging branches, and at 202:005,77[A ]| last, the shrill, lonely, repeated scream of the complaining curlew ~~ the 202:005,78[A ]| loneliest sound in Australian nature, I have always thought, and more particularly 202:005,79[A ]| so to me on that night, when my nerves seemed to be all 202:005,80[A ]| unstrung, and my body sadly in need of refreshment and rest. 202:005,81[A ]| What was I to do! If some unfortunate soul was in need of help on 202:005,82[A ]| that wretched swamp, I was utterly powerless to assist him. No living 202:005,83[A ]| horse or man could stem the terrible torrent into which I looked, nor 202:005,84[A ]| could horse have done aught but meet a grave in that green swampy 202:005,85[A ]| morass on a night like that; besides, no reply had come to my repeated 202:005,86[A ]| calls, and the sufferer was either alrady beyond help, or the sound of the 201:006,01[A ]| coo-ee had existed in my imagination alone. Might it not have been a 201:006,02[A ]| flock of departing curlews that my approach had disturbed? At any rate, 201:006,03[A ]| go on I must, for my limbs were getting benumbed, and my very heart 201:006,04[A ]| seemed trembling with cold. I had waited a good while on the side of the 201:006,05[A ]| creek, and my horse was as ready to move on as I was myself, when I once 201:006,06[A ]| more turned his head homewards. 201:006,07[A ]| It is not a pleasant life that of a policeman. Take it on the whole, 201:006,08[A ]| there are more to be envied billets; but, of course, there are occasions 201:006,09[A ]| when the mind seems to place everything in the darkest light, and what 201:006,10[A ]| at other times appear trifles too insignificant to furrow the brow, even 201:006,11[A ]| momentarily, looms up before us with the majesty and insurmountable 201:006,12[A ]| roughness of a precipice in the Andes. There \are\ such moments in the 201:006,13[A ]| lives of all men, I assert, and I was in the middle of one of my instalments 201:006,14[A ]| of them as I turned campwards, and left the tumbling waters of Yathong 201:006,15[A ]| behind. 201:006,16[A ]| Most likely I should be blamed for not making a more decided effort 201:006,17[A ]| to find out from whence proceeded that cry ~~ that is, if I mentioned the 201:006,18[A ]| matter at all. Ten to one I should get snubbed, or reprimanded, or 201:006,19[A ]| fined, because I did not ford an unfordable creek in the middle of a cold 201:006,20[A ]| winter's night, and find out the particular identical curlew that told 201:006,21[A ]| his mate he had got wet footed for my particular delectation. Bah! even 201:006,22[A ]| so, I would only be treated in the same way if a button happened to be off my 201:006,23[A ]| jumper on parade, or the tassel of my counterpoint got a little frayed. 201:006,24[A ]| To old Harry with the whole crew! I was not going to be made a regular 201:006,25[A ]| slave of, for all the disagreeable sergeants in the force! 201:006,26@b | "Please will you tell me where this track leads?" 201:006,27[A ]| The sound of a human voice took me so much by surprise in that 201:006,28[A ]| desolate spot, and coming as it did so closely upon the heels of that word, 201:006,29[A ]| "coo-ee!" that it was two or three seconds before I could give utterance 201:006,30[A ]| to a syllable. Neither did it at all reassure me to perceive that it was a 201:006,31[A ]| delicate-looking and respectably-dressed female that stood shivering on 201:006,32[A ]| the road near me, with the shadow of wind-tossed branches passing over 201:006,33[A ]| her white face. 201:006,34@a | "Good heavens! what brought you here? You are at least five miles 201:006,35@a | from the nearest hearth!" 201:006,36@b | "I have lost my way." 201:006,37@a | "Lost your way! I should think so! Where on earth are you going" 201:006,38@b | "I do not know. With you, I think, if you will permit, as I am afraid 201:006,39@b | of being in the bush all night." 201:006,40[A ]| I looked keenly at the speaker; not, of course, that I hesitated for a 201:006,41[A ]| moment to see her into some place of shelter; but I could not get it out 201:006,42[A ]| of my head that there was something very singular indeed in a woman, 201:006,43[A ]| frail and delicate, standing there in the wet bush in a late evening 201:006,44[A ]| of winter. 201:006,45@a | "You must have walked a very long way for a young person like you," 201:006,46[A ]| I said. 201:006,46@a | "Unless you have come from Balla, you can not have seen a light 201:006,47@a | within twenty miles." 201:006,48@b | "I did not come from Balla," 201:006,48[A ]| was the calm reply; 201:006,48@b | "but if you are 201:006,49@b | going there, I shall be glad to follow." 201:006,50@a | "Follow me! ~~ Nonsense! Can you sit on the crupper? ~~ will you get 201:006,51@a | up behind me?" 201:006,52@b | "Thankfully, I am very tired." 201:006,53[A ]| And the strange traveller approached, and placing her foot on mine, 201:006,54[A ]| with the assistance of my hand, vaulted lightly behind me. 201:006,55[A ]| I could not fail to remark, in the new clear cold light, as she did so, 201:006,56[A ]| that the foot which rested for a moment on mine was bootless; nor could 201:006,57[A ]| I refrain from remarking upon it to the girl, reserved as she seemed determined 201:006,58[A ]| to be with me. 201:006,59@a | "Have you got no shoes on? As sure as fate, you will get your very 201:006,60@a | death of cold!" 201:006,61@b | "I lost one of my boots in a swampy spot down below there. It is of 201:006,62@b | no consequence." 201:006,63@a | "Of no consequence!" 201:006,63[A ]| thinks I to myself. 201:006,63@a | "Surely I have got hold of a 201:006,64@a | strange customer here," 201:006,64[A ]| and I gave my horse the spur, to shorten the 201:006,65[A ]| way between me and Balla. 201:006,66[A ]| Where on earth had this woman come from? She sat behind me, holding 201:006,67[A ]| on with an arm round my waist, but with an ease that bespoke one 201:006,68[A ]| accustomed to the saddle. Where was she bound for? Nay, I might ask 201:006,69[A ]| that question reasonably, without laying myself open to any charge 201:006,70[A ]| of inquisitiveness. Slackening my horse's pace, then, I inquired ~~ 201:006,71@a | "Where do you mean to go, miss? Where do you wish me to take you?" 201:006,72@b | "I do not know. It is of no consequence whatever." 201:006,73[A ]| Did ever any soul hear the like of this! 201:006,74@a | "Of no consequence! Perhaps you would like me to take you to the 201:006,75@a | camp?" 201:006,76@b | "As well there as anywhere. I suppose you are going there yourself?" 201:006,77@a | "As I am a policeman, there is nothing more natural. But permit me 201:006,78@a | to say, that a suitable place for me can not possibly be a suitable place for 201:006,79@a | you." 201:006,80@b | "You are not a married man?" 201:006,81@a | "I am not." 201:006,82@b | "Are there no women about the Camp ~~ no boarding houses?" 201:006,83@a | "There is one where we board, and it is kept by a married couple." 201:006,84@b | "Please to put me down there." 201:006,85[A ]| Very satisfactory indeed, and I as wise as I was before. 201:006,85@a | "However, 201:006,86@a | my lady," 201:006,86[A ]| I said to myself, as I once more urged my horse forward, 201:006,86@a | "if 201:006,87@a | you think I am the chap to pick up a girl in the wet bush, of a winter's 201:006,88@a | night, thirty miles from a fire's light, without finding out a little more 201:006,89@a | than you seem disposed to tell me about it, you are most confoundedly 202:006,01@a | mistaken, that is all." 202:006,01[A ]| And I did not open my mouth to her for a good 202:006,02[A ]| two miles. 202:006,03[A ]| At length, however, I began to "hark back." I recalled the shrill 202:006,04[A ]| "Coo-ee!" in the dismal swamp; and only felt confirmed in my belief 202:006,05[A ]| that something to be hidden had placed this female in the deserted forest 202:006,06[A ]| at such an hour. It sounded like a warning voice; nothing more likely 202:006,07[A ]| than that she had cried to attract attention when she found she had lost 202:006,08[A ]| herself. 202:006,09@a | "Was it you who coo-ee'd about half an hour ago?" 202:006,09[A ]| I asked suddenly, 202:006,10[A ]| turning at the same time, to try and look into her face. I fancied she 202:006,11[A ]| started as I asked the question, but the answer came shortly, and decided 202:006,12[A ]| enough. 202:006,13@b | "I did not coo-ee." 202:006,14[A ]| I confess to being regularly "tempery," as this short answer was thrown 202:006,15[A ]| at me, and to feeling that the strange female had done anything but make 202:006,16[A ]| a friend of that clever trooper, Mat*Fenton ~~ 202:006,16@a | "So let her look out." 202:006,16[A ]| I muttered 202:006,17[A ]| privately to myself; 202:006,17@a | "I can see a hole through a ladder as well as 202:006,18@a | any man in the force, and that you may find yet, my lady." 202:006,19[A ]| We at length reached Balla, to the regret of neither horse nor riders, I 202:006,20[A ]| will warrant; and riding straight up to Mrs%*Withers' place, I pulled up. 202:006,21@a | "Now, miss, this is the place you wanted to go to, I believe." 202:006,22@b | "Is this the boarding house?" 202:006,23@a | "It is." 202:006,24[A ]| And, with the answer, the girl slid from her seat and made straight for 202:006,25[A ]| the door. She neither said good night or thank you, but walked straight 202:006,26[A ]| in at the open door, and disappeared. This, however, did not trouble me, 202:006,27[A ]| as, of course, I knew I should be able to learn all about her from Mrs%*Withers; 202:006,28[A ]| and, most likely, see her when I went in to supper in a few 202:006,29[A ]| minutes. So I led my horse into the stable, unsaddled and fed him, and 202:006,30[A ]| then hastened curiously to the boarding establishment. 202:006,31[A ]| Perhaps half an hour had elapsed since I left the strange girl at the 202:006,32[A ]| door, yet when I entered there, she was apparently quite at home, with 202:006,33[A ]| smoothed hair and arranged dress, calmly pouring out the tea for my 202:006,34[A ]| mate, young Willard, who was engaged at supper. I could scarcely 202:006,35[A ]| believe my senses that this was the shoeless wanderer in the lonely bush, 202:006,36[A ]| who in so short a time had been metamorphosed into a table maid, and 202:006,37[A ]| who performed the duties thereto appertaining as if she had been accustomed 202:006,38[A ]| to them all her life. 202:006,39[A ]| I almost fancied that my fellow traveller saw and enjoyed my wonder, 202:006,40[A ]| for she met my wide open gaze with a smile, and just such a smmile as if 202:006,41[A ]| she read my anxiety to penetrate her secret, and defied me. The smile 202:006,42[A ]| roused all my ire again, and I could not help having a rap at her as I 202:006,43[A ]| seated myself at table. 202:006,44@a | "I hope you will not take cold, miss." 202:006,45@b | "I hope not." 202:006,46@a | "I am very much afraid of it though; walking without boots in a 202:006,47@a | swamp at night for some hours is not likely to improve a young lady's 202:006,48@a | health. I hope you have seen to your feet." 202:006,49@b | "I have ~~ thanks for your consideration. I have availed myself of Mrs%*Withers's 202:006,50@b | slippers." 202:006,51[A ]| There was a sort of grin on Willard's face as this bit of a spar occurred, 202:006,52[A ]| but I laid it down to the possibility of my passenger having spoken of my 202:006,53[A ]| evident curiosity before I entered. 202:006,54@a | "Where is the missus, Withers?" 202:006,54[A ]| was my next question. 202:006,55@w | "Faith, Mat, she is bad ~~ had to take to her bed. This young lady you 202:006,56@w | brought is a regular god-send just now, for I can \not\ manage the cooking 202:006,57@w | at all." 202:006,58[A ]| Well, as I ate my supper, I took the opportunity of regularly examining 202:006,59[A ]| the mysterious stranger. She was fair and slight, with a very pale face, 202:006,60[A ]| and sad-coloured hair. Her eyes were blue, but keen; and her whole 202:006,61[A ]| appearance was that of a \genteel\ girl ~~ not exactly lady-like, you know, 202:006,62[A ]| but with nothing of vulgarity about it either. She was passably good-looking, 202:006,63[A ]| and no more; and her dress was a plain dark merino, without 202:006,64[A ]| any ornament whatever. 202:006,65[A ]| I got no opportunity that night to question Withers as to what account 202:006,66[A ]| she had given of herself, but I did so the first thing upon the following 202:006,67[A ]| morning, as we were engaged in attending to our horses. 202:006,68@a | "I say, Withers, who does that girl I picked up last night say she is? 202:006,69@a | Where does she hail from?" 202:006,70@w | "Blest if I know. She told the wife that she had run away from home, 202:006,71@w | and wanted a situation. Anyhow, the wife has taken a regular fancy to her, 202:006,72@w | and engaged her there and then on the spot." 202:006,73@a | "Without even a name, eh?" 202:006,74@w | "Oh, she said her name was Carr; and I suppose it will do as well as 202:006,75@w | any other," 202:006,75[A ]| added my easy-going mate. 202:006,76@a | "I suppose so," 202:006,76[A ]| I replied, with a mental reservation, however; 202:006,76@a | "it may 202:006,77@a | do for you, but it will not for me, and that time will show." 202:006,78[A ]| A whole week passed away without my being able to devote a day to a 202:006,79[A ]| search which I had determined to make for Miss*Carr's lost boot. I knew 202:006,80[A ]| where I had found her ~~ or rather, where she had found me; and I knew 202:006,81[A ]| where I had heard that repeated "coo-ee," and I did not think that the 202:006,82[A ]| girl \could\ have travelled far, minus her boot, through such a wet wild 202:006,83[A ]| bush as skirted Yathong*Creek upon that eventful night. As I have said, 202:006,84[A ]| however, I had been too professionally busy to do as I had intended, the 202:006,85[A ]| only step in the matter that I had been able to accomplish being the 202:006,86[A ]| abstraction of Miss*Carr's \other\ boot from the boarding house. This I 202:006,87[A ]| had managed thus. There was a sort of outer kitchen attached to 202:006,88[A ]| Withers's place, where we troopers used to find blacking, brushes, etc%, 202:006,89[A ]| and polish up our boots. One day, among a heap of old boots, slippers, 201:007,01[A ]| etc%, lying in a corner, I perceived Miss*Carr's. It was covered with mud, 201:007,02[A ]| but that did not prevent me stowing it carefully in my inside pocket and 201:007,03[A ]| carrying it to the barrack-room. I do not think it was missed; and it 201:007,04[A ]| was a great gratification to me to see it safely ensconced in my box, as I 201:007,05[A ]| fondly hoped it would be a clue, some day, to the discovery I \felt\ I should 201:007,06[A ]| yet make respecting that girl. 201:007,07[A ]| Meanwhile, she went on the 201:007,07@z | "even tenour of her way" 201:007,07[A ]| without seeming 201:007,08[A ]| to trouble her head in the least degree about me, or my suspicions 201:007,09[A ]| regarding her. She must have guessed that I had suspicions, for I was 201:007,10[A ]| silly enough not to attempt concealing the watch I kept over her, and I 201:007,11[A ]| more than once was rewarded with a repetition of that defiant smile 201:007,12[A ]| which had so much annoyed me on the first night of her arrival. 201:007,13[A ]| I had conceived a violent and apparently baseless dislike to this girl. I 201:007,14[A ]| was convinced that she was concealing something that was no good ~~ 201:007,15[A ]| something in "my line" I used to comfortably decide. And at the end of 201:007,16[A ]| a week, as I have said, something turned up that perfectly delighted me, 201:007,17[A ]| as being, I considered, full confirmation to my suspicions. 201:007,18[A ]| The \Gazette\ had just reached the camp, and almost the first paragraph 201:007,19[A ]| upon which my eyes lighted as I took it up to scan its pages, was one in 201:007,20[A ]| which a large reward was offered for tidings of a missing girl, the description 201:007,21[A ]| of whose appearance tallied so well with that of Miss*Carr that not a 201:007,22[A ]| doubt remained upon my mind as to her identity. I give you the proclamation 201:007,23[A ]| word for word, so that you may understand my feelings of 201:007,24[A ]| delight as I read it: ~~ 201:007,25@z | "ONE HUNDRED POUNDS REWARD. 201:007,26@z | Whereas a girl name Eliza*Wells did upon the night of the 15th 201:007,27@z | instant disappear from the station of Corryong, in the district of Rentfield, 201:007,28@z | and whereas the said Eliza*Wells did abduct from thence on the 201:007,29@z | said night a male child named Robert, aged two years, the above sum 201:007,30@z | will be paid to any person who may give such information as shall lead to 201:007,31@z | the arrest of the said Eliza*Wells, or to the discovery of the body of the 201:007,32@z | child, be it alive or dead." 201:007,33[A ]| After this followed a most particular description of the missing girl, as 201:007,34[A ]| well as of the child; and when I had read it through from beginning to 201:007,35[A ]| end I felt stunned, as it were, with the weight of my good fortune. 201:007,36[A ]| I daresay you may think me a hardened wretch, and I suppose I am; 201:007,37[A ]| for it has always been a pleasure to me to stop the career of the truly 201:007,38[A ]| criminal; and besides, all nonsense aside, policemen are but mortal, and 201:007,39[A ]| enjoy their likes and dislikes just as well as if they were not supposed to 201:007,40[A ]| be the impartial assitants of justice. And hence it was with a positive 201:007,41[A ]| feeling of pleasure that I read the paragraph, and carefully placed the 201:007,42[A ]| \Gazette\ in my pocket. 201:007,43[A ]| I was certain that no*one had seen it but myself, as the cover was on it 201:007,44[A ]| when I lifted it from the table; and I was far from wishing that anyone 201:007,45[A ]| should have a chance to warn Miss*Carr before I was quite ready to take 201:007,46[A ]| charge of her myself. 201:007,47[A ]| It was early in the day, and with a sudden determination I saddled my 201:007,48[A ]| horse, with the intention of proceeding straight to Cooryong station, a 201:007,49[A ]| distance of fifty long miles from Balla; but I changed my mind as I rode 201:007,50[A ]| swiftly on the track I had come on that flooded night of my first meeting 201:007,51[A ]| with "Miss*Carr." I decided upon first visiting Yathong*Creek and the 201:007,52[A ]| swamp where I had heard the coo-ee, in hopes of finding some trace of the 201:007,53[A ]| strange runaway or her missing boot. 201:007,54[A ]| I could not at all account for her whereabouts on the missing day. It 201:007,55[A ]| was on the 16th that I had come in the girl's way in Yathong bush, and 201:007,56[A ]| the proclamation stated the 15th as being the night upon which she 201:007,57[A ]| had absconded. She could never have tramped all of that swampy fifty 201:007,58[A ]| miles, and there was a whole day and night to account for; where had 201:007,59[A ]| she spent it, and what had she done with the child? 201:007,60[A ]| A lovelier day never broke over Australian ground than that on which 201:007,61[A ]| I took my way in the direction of Yathong. A strange contrast it was to 201:007,62[A ]| the last wild dreary night in which I had trembled at the sound of a distant 201:007,63[A ]| "coo-ee!" No unusual sound in the colonies either. I laughed at 201:007,64[A ]| myself now as I thought of my strange and nervous feelings, as the joyful 201:007,65[A ]| sun glanced warmly upon the still flooded but clear bosom of Yathong. 201:007,66[A ]| Every green bough of the scattered gum trees was gilded with warm 201:007,67[A ]| sunlight. Softly and verdant swept the untrodden grass into the flowing 201:007,68[A ]| creek. Gracefully bent the feathery wattle foliage down into the glassy 201:007,69[A ]| water; and gladly sang many a bush bird to the sound of the stream as 201:007,70[A ]| it reached Yathong. No wonder that I laughed at my former fears, with 201:007,71[A ]| not a fleck upon a sunny sky, and the music of forest nature around me. 201:007,72[A ]| I paused opposite the swamp in which I was so much interested. I 201:007,73[A ]| had ridden down close to the creek, and with the rippling of the gleaming 201:007,74[A ]| water in my ears, looked across it to the level flat beyond. Green as 201:007,75[A ]| emerald it was, but treacherous as an enemy's smile, and I felt that it 201:007,76[A ]| would be folly in me to attempt exploring it. Pools of glittering water 201:007,77[A ]| lay numerously over it, and the tall box forest that encircled it threw a 201:007,78[A ]| deep shadow around its borders. 201:007,79[A ]| With a half-sigh of disappointment, I was about to retrace my steps, 201:007,80[A ]| when my eyes fell upon the water that crept up the grass almost to my 201:007,81[A ]| horse's feet. What was it that made my heart cease to beat for a moment, 201:007,82[A ]| and that caused me involuntarily to rein back the horse until several 201:007,83[A ]| yards lay between me and the creek? 201:007,84@z | "The body of the child, be it alive or dead." 201:007,84[A ]| So ran the \Gazette\; and 201:007,85[A ]| there it was, heaving softly on the sunlit water, the body of the child, 201:007,86[A ]| \dead\! 201:007,87[A ]| Oh, yes, I felt it was \the\ child, even before I had alighted from my 201:007,88[A ]| horse, and was down, bending over the poor infant, drawing it carefully 201:007,89[A ]| upon the soft grass. 202:007,01[A ]| Poor little lamb! Two years old, I dare say, with golden glossy hair, 202:007,02[A ]| that lay on the water around the pale face like a scattered glory; little 202:007,03[A ]| rounded bare arms, that helplessly floated by its side; and blue, sightless 202:007,04[A ]| eyes, into which had gathered the shadow of death. Poor little darling! 202:007,05[A ]| What mother missed sadly the warm clasp of these stilly fingers, or heard 202:007,06[A ]| in dreams the patter of those silent feet? 202:007,07[A ]| So carefully I laid it upon the warm grass, and parted the dripping hair 202:007,08[A ]| from the little face, that one might have thought I hoped for life; but 202:007,09[A ]| no, it was not that ~~ it was to see the deep cut that mangled the white 202:007,10[A ]| temple of the babe that I swept the wet hair aside, to see the imprint of 202:007,11[A ]| a murderer's hand that I so gently swept the golden threads apart. Yes, 202:007,12[A ]| I had no doubt that this was the child of Cooryong, or that the quiet 202:007,13[A ]| seeming wanderer in the Yathong bush was the author of this foul deed. 202:007,14[A ]| But to what end? What was her object? To answer these questions, 202:007,15[A ]| I remembered that I must communicate with the station. Determined to 202:007,16[A ]| reach it that very night, long as was the ride, I looked around, wondering 202:007,17[A ]| what I should do in the meantime with the poor little corpse. There was 202:007,18[A ]| not, to my knowledge, a roof within miles, and I could not carry the body 202:007,19[A ]| forty miles on horseback. All I could do was to carefully cover it, and 202:007,20[A ]| send some*one from the nearest station to remove it. 202:007,21[A ]| And so I looked around for a suitable place, and found something which 202:007,22[A ]| at that moment I had not the most distant thought of. It was Miss*Carr's 202:007,23[A ]| lost boot, safely embedded in a spot near the creek, and not ten yards 202:007,24[A ]| from the spot where I had discovered the child. You may suppose that 202:007,25[A ]| I eagerly secured it, considering that, as a link in an already strong chain 202:007,26[A ]| of evidence, the find was indeed a precious one. 202:007,27[A ]| At no great distance I found a hollow log, in which I carefully disposed 202:007,28[A ]| the little body, securely closing both ends of the log, and laying around 202:007,29[A ]| some bushes to mark the spot. Then I mounted, and rode with a will in 202:007,30[A ]| the direction of Cooryong, determined to make myself fully acquainted 202:007,31[A ]| with the details before I slept. Notwithstanding, however, that I drew 202:007,32[A ]| bridle but once, to change my horse, at the only police camp on the way, 202:007,33[A ]| it was quite dusk when, weary and saddle sore, I reached the end of my 202:007,34[A ]| journey. 202:007,35[A ]| I had not the most distant intention of stirring out before morning, so 202:007,36[A ]| I paid all attention to my tired animal ere I entered the homestead. No 202:007,37[A ]| doubt that, under the circumstances, men of my coat were expected, for 202:007,38[A ]| from the man whom the noise of my horse's hoofs had summoned I 202:007,39[A ]| received the most respectful assistance. 202:007,40@a | "Is Mrs%*Wells at home?" 202:007,41@w | "Yes, sir. Please walk inside." 202:007,41[A ]| And inside I at once made my way. 202:007,42[A ]| Now, I knew but little about this Mrs%*Wells. I knew, certainly, that 202:007,43[A ]| she was the second wife of a man who bore the character of being an ill-tempered 202:007,44[A ]| drunkard; that he had married this woman very shortly after 202:007,45[A ]| the death of his former wife, and that they were not supposed to live very 202:007,46[A ]| peaceably together. Of all this public rumour had assured me, but I 202:007,47[A ]| was about to undergo my first introduction to Cooryong. 202:007,48[A ]| It was a sort of kitchen or common room into which I was conducted, 202:007,49[A ]| and there I was received by a fussy, common-looking Irishwoman, who 202:007,50[A ]| carried a squalling baby on her arm, and who was the picture of dirt and 202:007,51[A ]| untidiness. At the table sat a surly-looking man, with his head leaning 202:007,52[A ]| on his hand, who either seemed to be suffering from a too large libation, 202:007,53[A ]| or in an uncommonly bad temper. Supper was on the table, and I was 202:007,54[A ]| glad to see it, as the long ride had made me ravenous. 202:007,55@a | "Good evening, ma'am. Your servant, sir. I presume I am speaking 202:007,56@a | to Mr% and Mrs%*Wells. I have come about that \Gazette\ business; but, 202:007,57@a | with your permission, I will help myself to some supper first." 202:007,58@v | "To be sure; sit down," 202:007,58[A ]| cried the lady, hastening to lay the child in 202:007,59[A ]| the cradle, and to pour me out some tea. 202:007,60@v | "Perhaps you would like a drop in it, sir. It is a long ride from Balla. Did 202:007,61@v | you come all the way from Balla? Rouse up, Michael, and bring out the 202:007,62@v | bottle." 202:007,63[A ]| And so Michael did, and did not forget himself when he had done so; 202:007,64[A ]| but not a word proceeded from his lips. 202:007,65@a | "Now for business." 202:007,65[A ]| I commenced, as I drew my chair up to the fire. 202:007,66@a | It is a very unpleasant one, but it can not be helped, you know. Will you 202:007,67@a | tell me all you know about this Eliza*Wells. Is she your daughter?" 202:007,68@v | "Mine! Of course not; she is my husband's by his first wife. God 202:007,69@v | knows I am glad she has none of my blood in her body." 202:007,70@a | "And the little boy, is he yours, then?" 202:007,71@v | "Nor him either; he is her own brother." 202:007,72@a | "And what object could the girl have in stealing the child?" 202:007,73@v | "The saints only can tell. She was always hard and cruel, and maybe 202:007,74@v | she begrudged the child his share of the money. The mother left some 202:007,75@v | property to be divided between them." 202:007,76@a | "Oh!" 202:007,76[A ]| I ejaculated. 202:007,77[A ]| I fancied I had discovered an object for the wretched girl's crime. 202:007,78@v | "Yes, she was always hard and cruel to the poor little crather," 202:007,78[A ]| continued 202:007,79[A ]| the woman; 202:007,79@v | "and signs on, he was a poor little downy thing, with 202:007,80@v | scarce the life of a chicken in him." 202:007,81@w | "You lie!" 202:007,81[A ]| was the unexpected interjection of the hitherto silent man. 202:007,82@w | "She was never either hard or cruel; but it is yourself you are talking of ~~ a 202:007,83@w | hard, selfish being, that led the unfortunate children the lives of dogs!" 202:007,84[A ]| While Mrs%*Wells was staring like a gorgon at her husband during this 202:007,85[A ]| short but decided speech, I had drawn the Yathong*Creek boot from my 202:007,86[A ]| pocket, and handing it to the nearly exploding woman, turned the current 202:007,87[A ]| of her rage in another direction by my question ~~ 202:007,87@a | "Do you know that 202:007,88@a | boot?" 202:007,89@v | "Know it! Of course I do; it is that sneaking thief, Eliza*Wells. That 201:008,01@v | I, a decent woman, should have the misfortune to carry the same name 201:008,02@v | along wid me! Of course it is hers! I could swear to it in a thousand, 201:008,03@v | and I hope you have the miserable, two-faced crawler safe inside of four 201:008,04@v | stone walls! Has she the child wid her!" 201:008,05[A ]| Ay, that was the question! But it had to be answered, and so I told 201:008,06[A ]| the story of my cold ride, and my meeting with Miss*Carr; of her whereabouts 201:008,07[A ]| at the moment; and, at last, of the little sunny haired corpse that 201:008,08[A ]| had floated so sadly on Yathong. As I reached this portion of my relation, 201:008,09[A ]| I saw the dark-looking squatter turn his face quickly toward me, and 201:008,10[A ]| clench his hand nervously as he said, defiantly ~~ 201:008,10@w | "It is a foul lie, and I will 201:008,11@w | never believe it!" 201:008,12[A ]| And then he got up and strode from the room. 201:008,13@v | "May a mother's curse light on her deceitful head!" 201:008,13[A ]| was the ejaculation 201:008,14[A ]| of Mrs%*Wells; and, indeed, as she gathered her miserable little crying 201:008,15[A ]| infant up to her breast, I fancied I read something of a mother's softness 201:008,16[A ]| in her low, coarse features. 201:008,17[A ]| I slept well that night, in spite of my anxiety for a \9de=nouement\, for which 201:008,18[A ]| I was so anxious; and the sun had not arisen as I mounted my horse to 201:008,19[A ]| leave for Balla. I saw Mr%*Wells no more, but I did not think the less of 201:008,20[A ]| the poor father, debased though he might be, refusing to believe in the 201:008,21[A ]| guilt of his hitherto neglected child, or feel in a less degree the disgust inspired 201:008,22[A ]| by the vindictive and revengeful feelings of his wife. 201:008,23@v | "God speed you," 201:008,23[A ]| she said, as I left; 201:008,23@v | "I knew she would come to no good, 201:008,24@v | the schamer. I will come right over to hear the news meself. Good-bye." 201:008,25[A ]| As I was leaving the yard I was stopped by the same man who had 201:008,26[A ]| assisted me to stable my horse on the previous evening. 201:008,27@w | "I would like a word with you," 201:008,27[A ]| he said, and I pulled up to listen. 201:008,28@w | "Is it true that Miss*Eliza is arrested?" 201:008,28[A ]| was his first question; 201:008,28@w | "and 201:008,29@w | that she is accused of murdering her little brother?" 201:008,30@a | "Not exactly," 201:008,30[A ]| I replied; 201:008,30@a | "she is not yet arrested, but most likely she 201:008,31@a | will be as soon as I reach her." 201:008,32@w | "And the boy has been found dead?" 201:008,33@a | "Yes." 201:008,34@w | "Well, if I did not see her do it I would never believe it. I have known 201:008,35@w | the girl now for nine years, and I know what she has put up with from 201:008,36@w | this new madam. Why, I believe she would give her life for the child, and 201:008,37@w | many a beating she has put up with to save it from the stepmother's 201:008,38@w | hands." 201:008,39@a | "Well, my man, I can say nothing about that, you know. We have 201:008,40@a | circumstantial evidence to hand her twice over; and I hope, for her own 201:008,41@a | sake, that she may be able to prove her innocence, that is all." 201:008,42@w | "Circumstantial murder!" 201:008,42[A ]| he cried, turning angrily away. 201:008,42@w | "Many an 201:008,43@w | innocent neck has been stretched through circumstantial evidence." 201:008,44@a | "True enough, my man. Good-bye," 201:008,44[A ]| I said, as I put spurs to my horse, 201:008,45[A ]| and rode rapidly from Cooryong. 201:008,46@a | It was complete enough, 201:008,46[A ]| I thought to myself, through mile after mile of 201:008,47[A ]| my journey. 201:008,47@a | This chain of evidence which I had gathered was unbroken 201:008,48@a | by a single missing link. The only thing wanting to render it all as plain 201:008,49@a | as the light of day was a motive; and that, the knowledge of its being to 201:008,50@a | the girl's pecuniary interest that the child should be made away with, had 201:008,51@a | furnished. 201:008,52@a | What a cruel inhuman heart must beat within that young breast, and 201:008,53@a | under that still and self possessed seeming! How unwomanly the hand 201:008,54@a | and ear that could deal death, and listen to the victim's last cry, in the 201:008,55@a | cold, wet night that I so well remembered! Cry! A sudden illumination 201:008,56[A ]| struck my senses. It was doubtless the poor babe's last screams that I 201:008,57[A ]| had fancied coo-ees, and which had thrilled so fearfully in my ears. The 201:008,58[A ]| very thought gave wings to my steed, or rather to my spurs, and they 201:008,59[A ]| made the good horse leave the long road quickly behind him. 201:008,60[A ]| At the Camp, where I had left my own animal, I resumed him, and 201:008,61[A ]| taking one of the mounted men with me, proceeded towards Yathong. 201:008,62[A ]| We found the body of the poor little babe as I had left it; and wrapping 201:008,63[A ]| it in material brought for the purpose, carried it to Balla. 201:008,64[A ]| My first care, after the due and proper disposal of the baby and the 201:008,65[A ]| despatching of the necessary information to the nearest coroner, was to 201:008,66[A ]| pay a visit to Withers's, and see that "Miss*Carr" was still at hand. Oh, 201:008,67[A ]| yes, there she was, coolly going about her household duties, and met me 201:008,68[A ]| with the same half-sarcastic smile that I already knew so well. I thought 201:008,69[A ]| it fortunate that young Willard was in the room with her, and apparently 201:008,70[A ]| very busy helping her, or I should perhaps have been premature in 201:008,71[A ]| arresting her, as I was regularly tired of feeling sneered at by the 201:008,72[A ]| wretched being. 201:008,73[A ]| Morning came, and the coroner also. A jury had been summoned, and 201:008,74[A ]| attended, and the inquest was proceeded with. My evidence was, of course, 201:008,75[A ]| conclusive, and a warrant was granted for the arrest of Eliza*Wells for the 201:008,76[A ]| murder of her brother, Robert*Wells. 201:008,77[A ]| At this stage of the proceedings, and just as the jury were about breaking 201:008,78[A ]| up, a woman, travel stained, and sobbing loudly, burst into the room, 201:008,79[A ]| and threw herself upon the body of the child. 201:008,80@a | "My good woman," 201:008,80[A ]| I said, stepping forward, 201:008,80@a | "this will not do. You 201:008,81@a | must not interrupt ~~ " 201:008,82@v | "Must not see my own dead baby, is it?" 201:008,82[A ]| she almost shrieked, pressing 201:008,83[A ]| the corpse to her bosom. 201:008,83@v | "Who will separate me from him! I defy ye." 201:008,84@w | "Excuse her, gentlemen," 201:008,84[A ]| pleaded a man who now entered. 201:008,84@w | "she is 201:008,85@w | crazy wid the grief; and sure a mother's feelin's must be excused." 201:008,86@a | "A mother's! Is this really her child?" 201:008,87@w | "Yes, sir, and mine, God help us! We have been splittin' timber in the 201:008,88@w | Box*Forest for the last two months, and two days ago the wife took our 201:008,89@w | dinner out to us, leavin' the baby sound asleep on the floor. When she 202:008,01@w | came back, your honours, the child was gone, and sure there is the next we 202:008,02@w | see of him. The Yathong was not far from the hut, sir." 202:008,03[A ]| And overcome by his feelings, the father fairly burst into tears. 202:008,04[A ]| Circumstantial evidence, eh! It struck me forcibly at that moment 202:008,05[A ]| that my chain of it had got broken somehow, and that I had in some most 202:008,06[A ]| disagreeable manner got into the "wrong box." I had neither right or 202:008,07[A ]| title now to arrest the girl, for I had no direct charge to make against 202:008,08[A ]| her. 202:008,09[A ]| As Fate would have it, a trooper rode at that moment into the Camp 202:008,10[A ]| with orders for me to immediately report myself at head*quarters. The 202:008,11[A ]| business on which I was despatched was intricate, and it was a full week 202:008,12[A ]| before I returned to Balla. While supplying the wants of my inner man, 202:008,13[A ]| I noticed that Mrs%*Withers was about as usual, and that there was no appearance 202:008,14[A ]| of Miss*Carr. 202:008,15@a | "What has become of your fair assistant?" 202:008,15[A ]| I asked. 202:008,16@v | "Good gracious, have not you heard, Mat? Why, she and Willard were 202:008,17@v | married last Monday, and a jolly wedding we had, to be sure! Willard 202:008,18@v | is shifted, though, and I am very sorry for losing her, I tell you. She is 202:008,19@v | about the nicest creature I ever did see. Willard is stationed at Billabong 202:008,20@v | now." 202:008,21@a | "Well. I am blessed, if that does not beat all! Married, a girl who is 202:008,22@a | under suspicion of being a murderess, not to speak of a midnight tramp at 202:008,23@a | all! And a policeman, too ~~ that I may never ~~ " 202:008,24@w | "Oh! easy with you now! Mat," 202:008,24[A ]| put in Withers. 202:008,24@w | "All that cock-and-a-bull 202:008,25@w | story of yours had leaked out. Why, her little brother is living with 202:008,26@w | her now, and her father has taken her part against the stepmother, and 202:008,27@w | consented to let her take care of the child. The poor girl ran away with 202:008,28@w | him during a drinking fit of Wells's, when the stepmother had it all her 202:008,29@w | own way, and nearly killed the poor child with beating." 202:008,30@a | "Oh! indeed. And, pray, where was the child all the time she was 202:008,31@a | wandering in the bush, and while she was here, eh, mate?" 202:008,32@w | "Easy told. It was with that very splitter's wife whose child you 202:008,33@w | found in the creek. It seems the woman had been an old station hand, 202:008,34@w | and Miss*Wells had taken the coach to Syme's public house, and got the 202:008,35@w | landlord to drive her and the child to the Box*Forest, where she knew 202:008,36@w | this splitter's wife was. Then she started to walk to Balla to see Willard, 202:008,37@w | and got lost, and that is the whole story of the matter." 202:008,38@a | "To walk here! ~~ to see Willard! What the mischief did \she\ know of 202:008,39@a | Willard?" 202:008,40@w | "Ha! ha! Mat, you are riled. No wonder, for you have lost a grand ""case."" 202:008,41@w | Know Willard! ~~ of course she did! Why, they've been sweethearts for 202:008,42@w | two years ~~ ever since he was stationed at Cooryong." 202:008,43@a | "Sold again" 202:008,43[A ]| was my muttered exclamation as I "made tracks," and 202:008,44[A ]| flung "Miss*Carr's" boot out of my inside pocket on the dungheap. 202:008,45[A ]| And I hope you are better pleased at the termination of my clear case 202:008,46[A ]| of "Circumstantial Evidence" than I was myself ~~ that is all! 301:674,00@@@@@| 301:674,41[' ]| 301:674,42[A ]| How soon habit accustoms us to and modifies any particular sensation. 301:674,43[A ]| When I began to tell you these Tales of my Album, it was with 301:674,44[A ]| great reluctance that I opened it and looked upon faces that brought 301:674,45[A ]| with them such terrible and painful remembrances; but all that is 301:674,46[A ]| changed now, and I begin to look upon it as quite a matter of course 301:674,47[A ]| that I should turn over leaf after leaf, recalling every incident of my connection 301:674,48[A ]| with each face, and picturing it with each several expression of 301:674,49[A ]| rage or terror that I may have seen upon it. 301:674,50[A ]| My last story was of a woman, and this is also a woman's face that I 301:674,51[A ]| have laid before me. How different, however, are the two faces, each so 301:674,52[A ]| fearful in its association; one is pale and faded, even the very hair is of 301:674,53[A ]| a sad-coloured, expressionless hue; the other is dark and full, with deep, 301:674,54[A ]| dangerous-looking eyes, and heavy tresses of black hair half enframe it. 301:674,55[A ]| This latter is to furnish the memories of my present tale, and sad and 301:674,56[A ]| fearful memories they are. 301:674,57[A ]| As well as I can recollect, it was in the summer of eighteen fifty-nine, 301:674,58[A ]| that being settled temporarily on an up-country station, I applied 301:674,59[A ]| for, and was granted, a week's leave of absence, for a purpose which I 301:674,60[A ]| shall presently explain to you. Under any circumstances, a week's 301:674,61[A ]| relief from tedious and, at that time uninteresting duty would have been 301:674,62[A ]| hailed with delight, but under the particular ones that I turned my back 301:674,63[A ]| on the camp I looked forward to an enjoyment I had not felt since my 301:674,64[A ]| departure, long, long years ago, from the "old land." 301:674,65[A ]| The facts, then, were, that an old friend and schoolfellow had landed 301:674,66[A ]| in Melbourne and was about to join me, according to arrangement, at a 301:674,67[A ]| given point between that city and the camp which formed the temporary 301:674,68[A ]| scene of my duties. That friend had been an effective member of the 301:674,69[A ]| detective force in England, and you will readily understand with what 301:674,70[A ]| pleasure I looked forward to initiating him into the strange and totally 301:674,71[A ]| different practices of the Australian force. This friend's name was 301:674,72[A ]| Dillon. 301:674,73[A ]| It was a matter of fifty miles to the appointed place of meeting, but 301:674,74[A ]| that was of little account in my eyes, provided as I was with an excellent 301:674,75[A ]| horse, and accustomed to the saddle almost constantly. Indeed, so far 301:674,76[A ]| from considering the journey as a disagreeable necessity, I looked forward 301:674,77[A ]| to it as a boy to a long-wished-for holiday, and set out with a determination 301:674,78[A ]| to enjoy it to the utmost. 301:674,79[A ]| Of course, I could easily have accomplished the distance in one day, but 301:674,80[A ]| I did not do so. I had started a day in advance, and with the intention, 301:674,81[A ]| which I fulfilled, of spending a night at the police station, where I knew 302:674,01[A ]| I should meet two or three old chums; so it was not very early when I 302:674,02[A ]| bid them goodbye on the following morning, and proceeded on my 302:674,03[A ]| journey. It was, however, not more than ten o'clock when I reached 302:674,04[A ]| the appointed township, and found that the coach had just arrived without 302:674,05[A ]| my friend. 302:674,06@a | "Are you sure there is no afternoon coach or other way of reaching 302:674,07@a | this place to-day?" 302:674,07[A ]| I was asking the coachman, when the guard came 302:674,08[A ]| up and asked me. 302:674,09@w | "Is your name Sinclair, sir?" 302:674,10@a | "Yes. Have you anything for me?" 302:674,11@w | "A gentleman, who got down at Carrol's, asked me to hand you 302:674,12@w | this note if you were waiting, or to post it if you were not," 302:674,12[A ]| and the man 302:674,13[A ]| laid a note in my hand, addressed in the well-known characters of Ned*Dillon. 302:674,14[A ]| In it he stated a necessity of diverging from the coach-line on 302:674,15[A ]| especial business, and appointed a new place of meeting some fifteen 302:674,16[A ]| miles from where I stood. 302:674,17@a | "Where is Murdoch's restaurant?" 302:674,17[A ]| I asked the landlord of the inn at 302:674,18[A ]| which the coach changed horses. 302:674,18@a | "Is there such a place about fifteen 302:674,19@a | miles from this, and what sort of a road is there to it?" 302:674,20@w | "There is such a place, and it is the only refreshment house between 302:674,21@w | this and Murchison's," 302:674,21[A ]| was the reply. 302:674,21@w | "The road is a good enough 302:674,22@w | track in this season, but nothing only a bush track, not much travelled 302:674,23@w | on;" 302:674,23[A ]| and so, after receiving a few further instructions, I started once 302:674,24[A ]| more on the road. 302:674,25[A ]| I think it is the next door to the pleasantest thing in the world to be 302:674,26[A ]| riding through an Australian forest alone, when the heat is not too great 302:674,27[A ]| that is to say; but the heat was too great on the day in question; and, 302:674,28[A ]| having travelled eight or nine miles on an almost shelterless track, it 302:674,29[A ]| was with much satisfaction that I at length entered a denser belt of 302:674,30[A ]| forest, and saw water gleaming at a little distance. 302:674,31[A ]| It was about noon, I daresay, and the sun of an Australian November 302:674,32[A ]| was pouring down like fire upon myself and my animal, and that the water 302:674,33[A ]| was as grateful to the latter as the shade, he soon gave evidence by 302:674,34[A ]| pricking up his ears and taking advantage of the loosened rein to trot 302:674,35[A ]| joyously toward it. The temptation was irresistible to me also; the bush 302:674,36[A ]| waterhole looked so cool, the green wattles that fringed it so fresh, the 302:674,37[A ]| tall gaunt trees that guarded it, so shadowy and old, that I dismounted, 302:674,38[A ]| and, having fastened the bridle so that it would not incommode my 302:674,39[A ]| horse's movements, I threw myself on the grass and abandoned myself 302:674,40[A ]| to a delightful reverie. 302:674,41[A ]| I had chosen, or rather chanced upon, a rather peculiar place. There 302:674,42[A ]| was a rich and spreading wattle growing almost close to the brink of the 302:674,43[A ]| deep water, and behind it the ground fell away in a rather abrupt slope. 302:674,44[A ]| On this slope behind this bush I had thrown myself, on my face, so 302:674,45[A ]| that I could look right down into the water or up into the sky at my 302:674,46[A ]| pleasure, or even across the deep waterhole and far away beyond it ~~ 302:674,47[A ]| through the green and glowing bush, glowing with warm sunlight and 302:674,48[A ]| alive with a thousand birds of bright plumage. 302:674,49[A ]| Did you ever lie under a tree in the forest, and think dreamily until 302:674,50[A ]| the dreams came in reality, and sleep had overtaken you amid the rustling 302:674,51[A ]| of leaves and grass? Did you ever rest on grass and in shade, where 302:674,52[A ]| you could see the white fleecy clouds moveless in the blue sky, and the 302:674,53[A ]| blue mountain and king parrots flitting through the boughs, and the 302:674,54[A ]| Australian water-rat, rising and diving, with his porpoise-like roll, in the 302:674,55[A ]| still waters of a near creek? It is a pleasant rest, that is if you have 302:674,56[A ]| no eating cares to follow you everywhere and turn to poison every 302:674,57[A ]| sweet thing on earth. 302:674,58[A ]| But I had no serious care to carry with me into this quiet resting 302:674,59[A ]| place in the bush, and it was with an enjoyment that words would fail 302:674,60[A ]| to describe to you, that I lay there and smoked dreamily. I watched 302:674,61[A ]| the puffs of dark blue curling up from between my lips and spreading 302:674,62[A ]| hazily over the near water; and I admired the perfect shadow of the 302:674,63[A ]| feathery wattle, mirrored so truthfully in the clear element below my 302:674,64[A ]| eyes; and I heard the parrotts scream, and the tinkle of the distant bell 302:674,65[A ]| bird, and the sound of my own horse cropping the sweet grass at a little 302:674,66[A ]| distance, until it faded out from memory and fell asleep. 302:674,67[A ]| It could scarcely have been a sound that awakened me, for I did not 302:674,68[A ]| start suddenly into consciousness; I simply awakened slowly and opened 302:674,69[A ]| my eyes dreamily. The pipe had fallen out of my mouth and lay a 302:674,70[A ]| little under it on the grass, and upon it my eyes first fell; then they 302:674,71[A ]| wandered to the water beneath and saw the shadow of the wattle 302:674,72[A ]| broken by a ripple. What could have occasioned that ripple? was it 302:674,73[A ]| a water-rat, or, better still, a broad billed platypus ~~ that I should like to 302:674,74[A ]| see? And thus wondering, I lifted my eyes lazily, and saw that neither 302:674,75[A ]| platypus or water*rat had occasioned that ripple on the surface of that 302:674,76[A ]| bush waterhole. 302:674,77[A ]| I have told you that I lay under and behind a heavy wattle bush; so 302:674,78[A ]| you will understand that my point of observation was from under and between 302:674,79[A ]| its boughs that drooped into the water. While I could see what 302:674,80[A ]| was passing at the other side, I was thus totally screened from observation, 302:674,81[A ]| the rise in the ground, to which I have alluded, forming also an 302:674,82[A ]| additional security. 302:674,83[A ]| What I saw then was a woman attaching, as it seemed to me, a string 302:674,84[A ]| to the roots of a bush at the opposite side of the creek or hole. She was 302:674,85[A ]| stooping down at her task, so that I could not at first observe her face; 302:674,86[A ]| but when she had completed it, she stood up and took off her broad hat, 302:674,87[A ]| to let the air to her flushed and evidently heated face. She was a tall 302:674,88[A ]| figured, dark-browed woman of perhaps forty years, with piercing dark 302:674,89[A ]| eyes, and an expression of coarse determination in her firm, full lips, and 301:675,01[A ]| in every quick movement of her form. I saw this in the moment that 301:675,02[A ]| she stood there, ere she hastened away, evidently entirely unconscious of 301:675,03[A ]| the vicinity of any human being. It was fortunate that she was on the 301:675,04[A ]| other side of the creek, or she must have seen my horse, which was, I 301:675,05[A ]| afterwards observed, grazing at a bare distance of a hundred or so yards. 301:675,06[A ]| As the woman walked briskly away, I wondered much at the strangeness 301:675,07[A ]| of her visit to such a spot, and lifted myself cautiously to watch in what 301:675,08[A ]| direction she went. Here and there as she passed through clumps of 301:675,09[A ]| young trees, and around the huge trunks of old trees, I caught glimpses 301:675,10[A ]| of her person, until at length she paused near a low honeysuckle tree, 301:675,11[A ]| where I perceived the indistinct figure of a horse in the shade; a moment 301:675,12[A ]| more, and she had mounted, and was galloping away in the distance, like 301:675,13[A ]| the subject of a dream, and I was on my feet, and as wide awake and 301:675,14[A ]| curious as I ever was in my life. 301:675,15[A ]| Of course, you will believe that my first anxiety was to learn, by personal 301:675,16[A ]| inspection, what had been the object of the woman's visit to the 301:675,17[A ]| waterhole, and if I was correct in supposing that she had been tying a 301:675,18[A ]| string to the rocks or branches opposite. I had little difficulty in crossing 301:675,19[A ]| the creek to ascertain this, as the creek bed was nearly dry, as is usually 301:675,20[A ]| the case with Australian creeks during the summer heat, leaving only 301:675,21[A ]| those deep bush waterholes to satisfy the wants of man and beast. 301:675,22[A ]| So I made my way to the spot where the female had stooped, and 301:675,23[A ]| found, fastened securely to a piece of root almost hidden in the bank, 301:675,24[A ]| a stout cord, or rather twine, over which, doubtless for purposes of concealment, 301:675,25[A ]| was drawn an overhanging branch. You may depend upon it 301:675,26[A ]| that I lost no time in examining particularly into the arrangement, I was 301:675,27[A ]| too anxious to see what was at the other end of the string. 301:675,28[A ]| What was at the other end of the string then, was thrown out into the 301:675,29[A ]| very deepest part of the hole, a small chamois bag, securely tied at the 301:675,30[A ]| mouth, and fastened to, of all things in the world, an old rusty smoothing 301:675,31[A ]| iron. Probably from motives of convenience in attaching the bag this 301:675,32[A ]| article had been selected, although only a woman would have thought of 301:675,33[A ]| using such a thing for a weight. 301:675,34[A ]| No*one ever landed a fish with such interest as I drew that valueless 301:675,35[A ]| old iron to shore. But I had not yet ascertained the contents of this 301:675,36[A ]| little bag of such evident moment, that it had to be hidden in a forest 301:675,37[A ]| waterhole from the eyes of man. My patience was well-nigh exhausted 301:675,38[A ]| before I managed to untie the fastening and draw the mouth of the bag 301:675,39[A ]| open; but, having once done that, the rest was easy, I emptied the contents 301:675,40[A ]| on to the grassy bank. 301:675,41[A ]| A small gold Geneva watch, attached to a black ribbon, a miniature 301:675,42[A ]| brooch, encircled with English gold, and a much worn wedding ring were 301:675,43[A ]| the contents; of little pecuniary value, all told; whence, then, this great 301:675,44[A ]| anxiety for secrecy on the unknown female's part? 301:675,45[A ]| There were many ways of lawfully, or at least reasonably, accounting 301:675,46[A ]| for a woman's anxiety to hide her little personal ornaments. She might 301:675,47[A ]| have a drunken husband, who would sell, or pledge them, or a rapacious 301:675,48[A ]| creditor, who would not spare the old heir-looms of the past; still, it was 301:675,49[A ]| such an unusual act that which I had witnessed, that I could not, somehow, 301:675,50[A ]| regard it as an innocent one. Probably, had I been an honest man 301:675,51[A ]| and a civilian, I should have restored the sunken treasure as I had found 301:675,52[A ]| it, but, being a policeman, however honest I might be, I felt it impossible 301:675,53[A ]| to do so without some inquiry into the matter; and so I placed the 301:675,54[A ]| trinkets in my pocket, and replaced them in the bag by a few stones, 301:675,55[A ]| which I tossed into the hole, as securely fastened as I had found the 301:675,56[A ]| plant. 301:675,57@a | "Nothing," 301:675,57[A ]| I argued to myself, as I caught and mounted my horse, 301:675,58@a | "nothing can be easier than to trace this woman, and to discover her 301:675,59@a | reasons for riding miles to drop these things into a waterhole. She 301:675,60@a | must have ridden miles, for they told me there was not a single resident 301:675,61@a | within at least eight miles of this restaurant I am going to, so, of 301:675,62@a | course, I shall find her. And now, when I come to think of it, what 301:675,63@a | could have happened more fortunately? It will be something at the very 301:675,64@a | outset of his career in the colony to interest Ned*Dillon." 301:675,65[A ]| And thinking thus, I rode on the pleasant bush track leisurely, enjoying 301:675,66[A ]| the ride, too, as the heat of mid-day abated, and the coolness of evening 301:675,67[A ]| approached. I had not left the waterhole more than five miles 301:675,68[A ]| behind, however, when the track I had followed joined a broader and 301:675,69[A ]| evidently more travelled one; so I knew that I was not far from my object, 301:675,70[A ]| the restaurant mentioned by Dillon; indeed, I had not ridden many 301:675,71[A ]| minutes on the main track when I was within sight of it, and the description 301:675,72[A ]| I had received of it tallied exactly with the reality. 301:675,73[A ]| It was a long and low wooden erection, at a little distance from the 301:675,74[A ]| road side, with a small cultivated but neglected patch of ground behind 301:675,75[A ]| it. Behind it also, but at some little distance, rose up a wild-looking 301:675,76[A ]| and partially wooded range, around the base of which crept away into the 301:675,77[A ]| distance the coach track that went past the door. 301:675,78[A ]| At the door as I neared it stood a female, whom I at once recognised 301:675,79[A ]| as the woman of the waterhole; so far, then, I had succeeded without 301:675,80[A ]| any trouble. She was gazing up the road, in a direction opposite to that 301:675,81[A ]| in which I was approaching, with her hand shading her eyes from the low 301:675,82[A ]| sun rays, in an attitude which evinced anxiety of some kind or other. The 301:675,83[A ]| horse she had ridden, too, was quietly cropping the grass near at hand, 301:675,84[A ]| having evidently been just turned out; there could be no doubt, indeed, 301:675,85[A ]| that this was the woman I had previously seen. 301:675,86[A ]| She rather started as I pulled up and dismounted, but soon recovered 301:675,87[A ]| herself, and assumed her business-like air of attention and anxiety to 301:675,88[A ]| please. 301:675,89@c | "I did not hear you coming, sir," 301:675,89[A ]| she said, approaching to take the 302:675,01[A ]| bridle from my hand. 302:675,01@c | "My young slut of a girl has made herself scarce, 302:675,02@c | and I have been looking for her high and low. I thought I saw something 302:675,03@c | moving up the road there, and I was watching. You did not see 302:675,04@c | anything of a girl as you came along, sir?" 302:675,05@a | "No ~~ I saw nothing of a girl," 302:675,05[A ]| I replied to her question; which she 302:675,06[A ]| put with a keen, doubtful eye, as if she had just recollected the possiblity 302:675,07[A ]| of my having seen herself. 302:675,08@c | "No ~~ I thought so. It is not likely she would face in that direction, 302:675,09@c | for there is not a place nearer than White's. Will I put your horse in the 302:675,10@c | stable, sir?" 302:675,11@a | "Well, I want him stabled; but have you no man to do such work?" 302:675,12@c | "There is no*one on the place but myself," 302:675,12[A ]| she replied, 302:675,12@c | "but my husband, 302:675,13@c | and he is bedridden, poor man ~~ a regular handful to me, sir. But 302:675,14@c | I am used to that sort of work; bless you, I can settle him all right in no 302:675,15@c | time." 302:675,16@a | "But you will not," 302:675,16[A ]| I said, repossessing myself of the bridle. 302:675,16@a | "I am 302:675,17@a | quite as much accustomed to that work as you can possibly be, and I should 302:675,18@a | rather that you would go and get me something in the shape of a supper. Has 302:675,19@a | the Melbourne coach passed yet?" 302:675,20@c | "No coach to-day, sir. It only runs every second day. To-morrow 302:675,21@c | afternoon it will pass." 302:675,22@a | "Then you will have to give me accommodation for the night," 302:675,22[A ]| I said, as 302:675,23[A ]| I moved towards the stable, 302:675,23@a | "for I expect a friend per coach to meet me 302:675,24@a | here." 302:675,25[A ]| You need scarcely be told that the proper attendance of a horse was a 302:675,26[A ]| branch of the service well-known to me, and that it did not take me long 302:675,27[A ]| to make my animal comfortable in the rude stable of the inn. But there 302:675,28[A ]| is one matter with which it will be necessary to make you acquainted, 302:675,29[A ]| and that is, that I was in plain clothes, and that, consequently, my landlady 302:675,30[A ]| had no idea that she was about to extend her hospitality to a policeman, 302:675,31[A ]| and it was fortunate that such was the case, as it happened. 302:675,32[A ]| Having completed my task and entered the house, or hut, I found it in 302:675,33[A ]| no manner, save its extreme cleanliness, different from any other roadside 302:675,34[A ]| refreshment place, or shanty, in the colonies. The entrance was into a 302:675,35[A ]| large room, with a hard mud floor, and a huge chimney, also of mud, inside; 302:675,36[A ]| and in the corner was the usual little space allotted to bottles and barrels 302:675,37[A ]| and counter, and termed the bar. In the centre of the room was also the 302:675,38[A ]| usual oil-clothed table, and the usual rude wooden forms belonging to the 302:675,39[A ]| bush shanty in Australia. 302:675,40[A ]| There was one object in this apartment, however, which does not 302:675,41[A ]| usually present itself to the eye in such a place. I dare say there were 302:675,42[A ]| more than one sleeping room behind, but in the corner of this front one, 302:675,43[A ]| and close to the fire, was a large fixed wooden bed, hung with some sort of 302:675,44[A ]| dark curtains that almost enveloped it, and it gave a strange, gloomy look 302:675,45[A ]| to a place not very well lighted ~~ there being only two small windows 302:675,46[A ]| piercing the front of the house. 302:675,47[A ]| Mrs%*Murdoch, as I found the woman's name to be, was busily cooking 302:675,48[A ]| me some supper, or dinner, when I entered, and at her invitation, I seated 302:675,49[A ]| myself at the table already spread for my repast; it being not quite 302:675,50[A ]| ready, however, I had ample time to examine the place more closely, and 302:675,51[A ]| make myself better acquainted with my several surroundings as I exchanged 302:675,52[A ]| remarks with my landlady. 302:675,53[A ]| The air of extreme cleanliness which struck me on first entering I found 302:675,54[A ]| to be imparted by a lavish use of whitewash. The chimney was like 302:675,55[A ]| driven snow, except that one black line up the back where crept dense 302:675,56[A ]| volumes of smoke from the huge log that backed the fire, and every inch 302:675,57[A ]| of the floor was as white as whitewash could make it. Here and there 302:675,58[A ]| lay old bags, or portions of them, to save it from a soiled footmark; and 302:675,59[A ]| behind the counter, I could notice that the whitening was not yet dry 302:675,60[A ]| where the heat could not so readily penetrate. 302:675,61@a | "Do you not find it warm cooking in here during summer?" 302:675,61[A ]| I asked. 302:675,62@c | "The chimney is so large that I do not think it makes much difference," 302:675,63[A ]| the woman said; 302:675,63@c | "and besides, my poor man must be kept warm by the 302:675,64@c | doctor's orders," 302:675,64[A ]| and she glanced towards the large curtained bed I had 302:675,65[A ]| observed in the corner. 302:675,66@a | "Oh, is that where he sleeps? Does not the noise disturb him?" 302:675,67@c | "Bless you, sir, nothing disturbs him ~~ he is past that;" 302:675,67[A ]| and having 302:675,68[A ]| placed my food before me, she went and drew back the curtain partially, 302:675,69[A ]| that I might see the tenant of the bed. 302:675,70[A ]| It was not a sight to improve a man's appetite. Upon a pillow as white 302:675,71[A ]| as chalk lay a white, thin face, and scattered, thin gray hair. Wild, wandering 302:675,72[A ]| eyes were looking out of this face, and bony, helpless hands lay 302:675,73[A ]| upon the white counterpane. The movement of the curtain did not seem 302:675,74[A ]| to cause any fresh expression in the sick man's face, nor did any speculation 302:675,75[A ]| seem to dwell in the large, wild eyes, that wandered so restlessly. I 302:675,76[A ]| was glad when the curtain was once more drawn between me and that 302:675,77[A ]| poor face, though the remembrance of it made my meal a much shorter 302:675,78[A ]| one than would otherwise have been the case. 302:675,79@a | "What is the matter with him?" 302:675,79[A ]| I questioned. 302:675,80@c | "He has had two strokes, sir, and I expect the third will release him. He 302:675,81@c | was getting on pretty well, the doctor thought, but he took another yesterday, 302:675,82@c | and is worse since." 302:675,83@a | "Do you think he is conscious?" 302:675,84@c | "I do not, sir. Sometimes, indeed, he looks at me as if he wanted to 302:675,85@c | speak, but at others he does not seem to have any idea of his condition. He 302:675,86@c | can not speak, at any rate, for half of his body is paralysed." 302:675,87@a | "A sad, lonely life you must have of it here in the bush?" 302:675,88@c | "Yes, indeed; and what is to become of me if that young hussy's bolted 302:675,89@c | I do not know." 301:676,01[A ]| And the woman went once more to the door, and looked anxiously up 301:676,02[A ]| the road. 301:676,03[A ]| And as she looked up the road I looked at her, observing the great 301:676,04[A ]| change in that dark face, as it fell into its natural expression when relieved 301:676,05[A ]| from the assumed pleasantness of a woman of business. Her heavy 301:676,06[A ]| eyebrows grew heavier; a hard, stern look gathered around her firmly 301:676,07[A ]| pressed, coarse lips, and the frightened anxiety that looked out of her 301:676,08[A ]| fierce eyes completed a most disagreeable face in expression, and one 301:676,09[A ]| which it was not difficult to conclude could belong to no good woman. 301:676,10@a | "What reason have you to suppose that the girl has bolted?" 301:676,10[A ]| I asked. 301:676,11@a | "And if she has, surely you need not care if she has stolen nothing. 301:676,12@a | There is plenty more to be had, no doubt." 301:676,13@c | "Oh, yes, I dare say; but she is half a fool, and is scarcely to be trusted 301:676,14@c | away by herself. Indeed, I can not think what made her bolt, so I would like to 301:676,15@c | make sure; and if you have no objection to stop by yourself for a bit, I will 301:676,16@c | ride over to White's and make sure. She \can not\ be anywhere else by this 301:676,17@c | time, for there is not another house within twelve miles." 301:676,18@a | "And how far is White's away, then?" 301:676,19@c | "About six miles." 301:676,20@a | "But will you not be afraid to go there at this time of day?" 301:676,20[A ]| I asked. 301:676,21[A ]| looking toward the setting sun. 301:676,21@a | "It will be dark long before you can be 301:676,22@a | back." 301:676,23@c | "I do not mind that; I am used to it." 301:676,24@a | "Well, I have no objection to be left, of course. A man ought to be 301:676,25@a | able to take care of himself if he is not." 301:676,26@c | "Well, then, I will go sir, and you need not be afraid that my man will 301:676,27@c | trouble you; he will want nothing before I come back." 301:676,28[A ]| And the strange woman placed a candle upon the table, ready for lighting, 301:676,29[A ]| and seizing her hat from the counter went out. I followed her to 301:676,30[A ]| the door, and watched, with some interest, her movements in catching the 301:676,31[A ]| quiet old horse, and saddling him, and in finally mounting and pausing as 301:676,32[A ]| she passed the door. 301:676,33@c | "Oh, by-the-bye, sir, if you should want anything to drink you will 301:676,34@c | find beer in the barrel close to you, and spirits on the counter. Please 301:676,35@c | do not go inside the bar, as the whitewash is not dry, and your feet will make 301:676,36@c | trouble for me to-morrow." 301:676,37@a | "A most careful and particular woman, to be sure," 301:676,37[A ]| I thought, as I 301:676,38[A ]| watched her urging her horse at a quick pace over the tortuous road. 301:676,39@a | "And yet there must be something very honest in my appearance, or 301:676,40@a | something really serious in that girl's absence, or I should not be trusted 301:676,41@a | in a house alone this way; and with a dying man, too." 301:676,42[A ]| And as I remembered him, I moved inside, and drew back the heavy 301:676,43[A ]| curtain from before the bed. 301:676,44[A ]| He was lying in the same position, with the same white face, and the 301:676,45[A ]| same rolling eyes, and I began to think what a terrible fate was that of 301:676,46[A ]| this man should he, unfortunately, be possessed of more consciousness 301:676,47[A ]| than his wife believed. Supposing he saw and heard all that was going 301:676,48[A ]| on around him, and felt grievous wants which he could not express, how 301:676,49[A ]| truly pitiful was his case; and as if in answer, or confirmation, of my 301:676,50[A ]| thoughts, at that moment the poor man rolled his eyes toward me, and 301:676,51[A ]| let them rest fixedly on my face. I was glad to get away from them, and 301:676,52[A ]| to seat myself before the fire, which had burned low, and which the coolness 301:676,53[A ]| of approaching night rendered not unpleasant. 301:676,54[A ]| Seated there, then, with the darkening evening closing in, and the 301:676,55[A ]| strange sounds of a lonely bush coming in the open door, my mind began 301:676,56[A ]| an erratic ramble, in which old times, and Ned*Dillon, and my peculiar 301:676,57[A ]| position at the moment played their several parts. 301:676,58[A ]| At length I found it growing so dark that I arose and closed the door, 301:676,59[A ]| and lighted the candle upon the table. It was not a pleasant thing, by 301:676,60[A ]| any means, to be alone in that out-of-the-way place, or rather not alone, 301:676,61[A ]| but the companion of a half-dead man, whose eyes were anything but 301:676,62[A ]| agreeable to contemplate. It was impossible for me now not to observe 301:676,63[A ]| that they were following my every movement, and the sensation was that 301:676,64[A ]| of being watched by a dead man. I had to reason myself out of an absurd 301:676,65[A ]| terror that I felt, and tried to be glad that the poor, sick man found 301:676,66[A ]| anything to amuse or interest him sufficiently to arouse him from his 301:676,67[A ]| torpor. 301:676,68@a | "I should like to pull that curtain between me and those eyes," 301:676,68[A ]| I 301:676,69[A ]| thought, as I resumed my seat by the fire; 301:676,69@a | "but it would indeed be 301:676,70@a | selfish to shut the poor fellow in with his helplessness. Let me try to 301:676,71@a | forget him, and think of his wife, and her strange visit to the waterhole 301:676,72@a | this afternoon." 301:676,73[A ]| Thinking thus, then, I drew the watch from my pocket, and began to 301:676,74[A ]| examine it with more care than I had as yet had an opportunity of doing. 301:676,75[A ]| But there was no fresh discovery to be made; it was simply a small 301:676,76[A ]| gold watch of little value, and very considerably worn, and I was drawing 301:676,77[A ]| the ribbon to which it was attached through my fingers thoughtfully, 301:676,78[A ]| when a strange and horrible sound from the bed startled me. 301:676,79[A ]| I can never successfully describe to you the face of the half-dead man 301:676,80[A ]| that I saw as I turned toward the extended figure on the couch. You 301:676,81[A ]| must imagine a living will in a dead body trying vainly to assert itself, 301:676,82[A ]| and you may have some conception of it. It was a fearful sight; the 301:676,83[A ]| eyes alone were alive, and almost bursting with the fire of an anxiety 301:676,84[A ]| which he was helpless to utter, and a faint twitching of the fingers on the 301:676,85[A ]| counterpane alone seconded that voiceless wish. The sound which had 301:676,86[A ]| startled me was an indescribable and awful internal struggle of the 301:676,87[A ]| muscles of the throat, as I supposed, for there was no visible outward 301:676,88[A ]| movement of the lips or neck. 301:676,89[A ]| I thought the man was dying, and started forward with some helpless 302:676,01[A ]| idea of assisting him in some way. I held the watch in my hand as it was 302:676,02[A ]| when the noise roused me, and, as it happened, that hand was within a 302:676,03[A ]| few inches of the sick man's worn and attenuated fingers. 302:676,04[A ]| I shall never forget the momentary life that came into that man's face 302:676,05[A ]| at that instant; it came and went as sudden as a flash of lightning, and 302:676,06[A ]| left, too, almost as scathing traces behind it. The face burst, as it were, 302:676,07[A ]| into an expression of the most intense agony, as if will had indeed prevailed 302:676,08[A ]| over death for but a moment, and the fingers clutched the watch, 302:676,09[A ]| and dragged it convulsively from my hand. While it was held upon the 302:676,10[A ]| heaving breast of the man, his eyes grew into it wildly one instant, and 302:676,11[A ]| the next had faded into darkness; he was either dead or in a swoon. 302:676,12[A ]| I could not tell which; he had been so deathlike before, that there was 302:676,13[A ]| no change, save that the glittering eyes had half closed and faded, and the 302:676,14[A ]| chest no longer heaved even weakly. I got some water and sprinkled his 302:676,15[A ]| face, and some spirit and wet his lips; but, as there seemed no change, 302:676,16[A ]| what could I do but leave him, and, having removed the watch from his 302:676,17[A ]| fingers, carefully stow it away in my pocket, and reseat myself before the 302:676,18[A ]| fire. 302:676,19[A ]| It was impossible for me not to come to the conclusion that the sick 302:676,20[A ]| man had recognised the watch, and that it aroused within him some terrible 302:676,21[A ]| recollections. Nothing was more likely, of course, than that it 302:676,22[A ]| should be familiar to him; but even if he feared that I had stolen or was 302:676,23[A ]| about to steal it, why should the fear make so great an impression on a 302:676,24[A ]| man whose extreme condition might be reasonably supposed to render 302:676,25[A ]| him careless of everything in a world he must soon quit for*ever? I 302:676,26[A ]| could not understand it, nor could I rest in my seat; so I got up and 302:676,27[A ]| opened the door to listen for the sound of horse's feet. 302:676,28[A ]| I heard them coming quickly, too; so quickly, that the pace was not a 302:676,29[A ]| very safe one on a bad road in so dark a night; but, in a few moments 302:676,30[A ]| more, my landlady had dismounted, and entered the door. 302:676,31@a | "I am thoroughly glad you have come," 302:676,31[A ]| I said, 302:676,31@a | "for your husband seems 302:676,32@a | to be worse." 302:676,33@c | "Ah, that is nothing uncommon," 302:676,33[A ]| she answered gloomily, as she looked 302:676,34[A ]| at the figure on the bed. 302:676,34@c | "It is only one of his faint hours; he gets them 302:676,35@c | often," 302:676,35[A ]| and she procured some wine, and poured a few spoonfuls between 302:676,36[A ]| the invalid's blue lips. 302:676,36@c | "There, he is coming to," 302:676,36[A ]| she added, 302:676,36@c | "and it is 302:676,37@c | most likely he will go off in one of them." 302:676,38[A ]| How coolly the woman spoke of her husband's "going off," as if it 302:676,39[A ]| was some temporary journey to be commenced on a sun-bright summer 302:676,40[A ]| day. 302:676,41@a | "And have you had any success in your search?" 302:676,41[A ]| I asked. 302:676,42@c | "No. The little wretch had not showed up at Smith's. She must 302:676,43@c | have taken the bush for it." 302:676,44[A ]| I did not remain long out of bed that night; indeed there was nothing 302:676,45[A ]| attractive in that dark-browed, gloomy woman, who seemed to have returned 302:676,46[A ]| from her fruitless errand more gloomy than before. I had a 302:676,47[A ]| glass or two of hot punch to put the life into me; and, when I retired 302:676,48[A ]| to the little crib she had previously pointed out to me, I left her 302:676,49[A ]| sitting moodily in front of the red embers, doing nothing but gazing into 302:676,50[A ]| them, as if in a vain effort to read her destiny within them. 302:676,51[A ]| It was some time before I slept. I did not feel at all comfortable, 302:676,52[A ]| thinking of that woman sitting out there thinking of nothing good, I was 302:676,53[A ]| certain, and of that poor helpless being lying near her, watching, and 302:676,54[A ]| thinking too, perhaps, and knowing more than I did. But, after hours of 302:676,55[A ]| tossing, I did sleep; and I did not waken until it was late, as I perceived 302:676,56[A ]| by the high sunbeams streaming through the little window of my 302:676,57[A ]| room. 302:676,58[A ]| After I had breakfast, I made up my mind to escape the few intervening 302:676,59[A ]| hours of my landlady's society, to which remaining in the house would 302:676,60[A ]| compel me, and so I intimated an intention of strolling up the range at 302:676,61[A ]| the back of the house, to see with what sort of view it would repay the 302:676,62[A ]| trouble. It was a lovely day, and without the extreme heat of the 302:676,63[A ]| previous one, and I had not climbed half way up the hill before I felt myself 302:676,64[A ]| again. 302:676,65@a | "If it was for nothing else than to escape the intolerable smell of whitewash, 302:676,66@a | which that over clean woman keeps her house impregnated with," 302:676,67[A ]| I muttered, as I paused to rest, 302:676,67@a | "this escape would be worth any money. 302:676,68@a | I wish to heaven that Dillon had come; another night in this hole will be 302:676,69@a | the death of me." 302:676,70[A ]| If you are at all familiar with the ranges of this colony, you will readily 302:676,71[A ]| recollect how apt they are to be broken into gaps and sudden falls when 302:676,72[A ]| you least expect them. Just such a fall I had almost reached, when I 302:676,73[A ]| turned to once more continue my ascent, and I was obliged to again 302:676,74[A ]| pause, and consider to which side I had better turn, the right or the 302:676,75[A ]| left. 302:676,76@a | "Suppose I go straight across," 302:676,76[A ]| I thought; 302:676,76@a | "it will be just as easy," 302:676,77[A ]| and down I went accordingly, making my way carefully over loose 302:676,78[A ]| stones, and around fallen boulders. I daresay you will believe me when 302:676,79[A ]| I tell you that I had nearly fallen with surprise, on turning one of the 302:676,80[A ]| latter, to find myself standing face to face with a pale, terrified-looking 302:676,81[A ]| girl of fourteen or fifteen. She was not only terrified-looking, but ragged 302:676,82[A ]| and ill-looking; and, of course, it was natural for me to conclude that I 302:676,83[A ]| had accidentally fallen over the runaway girl of whom Mrs%*Murdoch had 302:676,84[A ]| been in search. 302:676,85@a | "Oh, you are the girl that bolted from the restaurant, eh?" 302:676,86@d | "Oh, please do not murder me, sir! Oh, do not!" 302:676,86[A ]| cried the wretched-looking 302:676,87[A ]| creature, shrinking back, and glancing around her for some means 302:676,88[A ]| of escape. 302:676,89@a | "Murder you? Who is going to murder you, girl? What nonsense 301:677,01@a | you talk. Come, you had better get along down to your mistress. I should 301:677,02@a | think you had quite enough bush for once." 301:677,03@d | "I would rather die in the bush than go back there!" 301:677,03[A ]| exclaimed she, 301:677,04[A ]| bursting into tears, and wringing her thin hands. 301:677,04@d | "I do not want to be 301:677,05@d | murdered in my sleep. Oh, Lord!" 301:677,05[A ]| She shrieked at some fearful 301:677,06[A ]| memory, as it appeared to me. Remembering, however, what the woman 301:677,07[A ]| had said about her being half silly, I tried to soothe the girl, and find out 301:677,08[A ]| of what real of imaginary evil she had such horror. 301:677,09@a | "You sit down on that rock," 301:677,09[A ]| I said to her, 301:677,09@a | "and tell me quietly what 301:677,10@a | you ran away from Murdoch's for. You need not be afraid, you know, 301:677,11@a | I will protect you if it is necessary, for I have nothing to do whatever 301:677,12@a | with Mrs%*Murdoch." 301:677,13@d | "Have not you, sir? and you will not let her kill me. Oh, the horrid 301:677,14@d | woman!" 301:677,15@a | "Come, now, tell me all about it. What did you run away for?" 301:677,16@d | "Because I was afraid of her, because I saw her killing the lady. Oh, 301:677,17@d | you will not tell her that I saw that, sir! if you do, she will be sure to kill 301:677,18@d | me too!" 301:677,19[A ]| Killing the lady! Good heaven! was this really true; and was a murder 301:677,20[A ]| really at the bottom of that hidden watch! I could not ask a question 301:677,21[A ]| for a moment or two, and the girl stared at me, trembling as if her 301:677,22[A ]| life hung upon my answer, as she most probably thought it did. 301:677,23@a | "Do not you be one bit afraid," 301:677,23[A ]| I answered at last. 301:677,23@a | "If what you tell 301:677,24@a | me is true, you could not be in better company; for I am a policeman, my 301:677,25@a | girl, and it is my business to protect you, as well as to punish Mrs%*Murdoch. 301:677,26@a | Tell me everything you know then, but do not tell me any lies, or I 301:677,27@a | shall leave you to your fate." 301:677,28[A ]| After considerable trouble, then, I managed to get the story from 301:677,29[A ]| her, bit by bit, and it was impossible to doubt that, if the girl had not 301:677,30[A ]| really witnessed the horrible details she described, she believed she had, 301:677,31[A ]| her terror was too genuine to be feigned. It would be useless for me, 301:677,32[A ]| however, to give you the story as I patiently picked it from her, so I shall 301:677,33[A ]| let you have it in my own words. 301:677,34[A ]| According to the girl's account, then, a lady-like woman had arrived at 301:677,35[A ]| Murdoch's by the last coach, and had suddenly announced herself as the 301:677,36[A ]| lawful wife of Murdoch, who had left her in England years before. 301:677,37[A ]| Murdoch himself had been mending previously to her arrival, but the 301:677,38[A ]| scene of recrimination that ensued had thrown him into another fit, not 301:677,39[A ]| however before he had acknowledged his wife in the new arrival. It is 301:677,40[A ]| not to be expected that the girl, who was in reality a soft-headed thing, 301:677,41[A ]| would very closely observe the manners of each separate individual during 301:677,42[A ]| the encounter of words, but she declared that the strange lady was the 301:677,43[A ]| most angry, and that Mrs%*Murdoch scarcely spoke, only looked as black 301:677,44[A ]| as midnight. 301:677,45[A ]| Well, Maria, as she called herself, was sent to bed, and fell into the 301:677,46[A ]| heavy sleep incident to youth; from which sleep she did not know what 301:677,47[A ]| aroused her, but she fancied it was a scream. From the description 301:677,48[A ]| given me, I gathered that the stranger must have retired to rest, in the 301:677,49[A ]| very bed I had occupied at the restaurant, and that Maria's was only 301:677,50[A ]| divided from it by a wooden partition, papered. Through this partition 301:677,51[A ]| the girl had made a hole for the purposes of espionage, and through this 301:677,52[A ]| hole she witnessed the murder of the strange woman by her terrible 301:677,53[A ]| mistress. 301:677,54@d | "She smothered her, she did!" 301:677,54[A ]| almost screamed the girl as she told 301:677,55[A ]| me, shaking, as if in the grasp of the murderess herself. 301:677,55@d | "She smothered 301:677,56@d | her with a bolster, and got up on her chest with her knees and squeezed 301:677,57@d | the life out of her. Oh, it was awful! but I could not help looking until 301:677,58@d | the very last, when she dragged the dead corpse out, with the blood running 301:677,59@d | out of her mouth, and her face all black." 301:677,60@a | "And where did she put the body, child?" 301:677,60[A ]| I asked, with such a deep 301:677,61[A ]| interest, as you may suppose. 301:677,62@d | "Oh, I do not know. I covered my head up in the blankets and shook 301:677,63@d | till morning, and I have been shaking ever since. When I got up in the 301:677,64@d | morning I could smell the death in the place, although Mrs%*Murdoch had 301:677,65@d | had been whitening all over with the lime the man brought for the 301:677,66@d | chimney. I thought I would never get a chance to bolt, but, after dinner, she 301:677,67@d | saddled the horse and went away, and I hooked it." 301:677,68@a | Smell the death in the place! Was that the secret of the lime-washing 301:677,69@a | of Mrs%*Murdoch? What horrible suggestions these words of the girl 301:677,70@a | gave me! 301:677,71[A ]| I sat still and thought, for some time after she had concluded, on the 301:677,72[A ]| stone where I had placed myself, and my principal thought framed itself 301:677,73[A ]| into a wonder as to what the murderess, if she was one, had done with the 301:677,74[A ]| body. And how plain to me now was the cause of the half-dead man's 301:677,75[A ]| fearful emotion as he saw the watch of his murdered wife in my hands. 301:677,76[A ]| Had he also witnessed the murder? or was it only that he dreaded foul 301:677,77[A ]| play at the hands of the woman he had deceived? 301:677,78@a | "Look here, my girl," 301:677,78[A ]| I said, getting up at length, and speaking very 301:677,79[A ]| seriously to the poor thing, 301:677,79@a | "I must go down now, for the coach will soon 301:677,80@a | be coming, and a friend of mine will stop at Murdoch's. Keep watch, 301:677,81@a | and when you see me speaking to a man outside the house, after the coach 301:677,82@a | has passed, come boldly down, and leave the rest to me. Do not be one bit 301:677,83@a | afraid, for I will not let you out of my sight until that woman is in custody, 301:677,84@a | which she will be before many hours are over my head. Now, do you 301:677,85@a | understand me?" 301:677,86@d | "I do, sir." 301:677,87@a | "And you are sure you are not very hungry?" 301:677,88@d | "No, sir ~~ I have got a bit of bread, left yet." 301:677,89@a | "All right. Now be sure to come, you know, for if you do not, I will have 302:677,01@a | to hunt \you\ up instead of Mrs%*Murdoch, and put \these\ on you," 302:677,01[A ]| and I 302:677,02[A ]| took out my handcuffs and showed them to her. 302:677,03[A ]| Walking away immediately, and making the best of my way down the 302:677,04[A ]| hill again, I was none too soon, for scarcely had I reached the house 302:677,05[A ]| when the mail came dashing down the road, and in another two or three 302:677,06[A ]| minutes I was shaking my old friend Dillon by the hand. 302:677,07[A ]| Ah, these old friends! How strange a sensation it is to meet one you 302:677,08[A ]| have not seen for years, and to look into eyes in which you have not been 302:677,09[A ]| reflected since youth or boyhood, in a country so far from "home," that 302:677,10[A ]| one dares scarcely to count the miles! For some moments, then, it is no 302:677,11[A ]| wonder that even the murder was forgotten, as questions were asked and 302:677,12[A ]| answered, and long-ago smiles and looks re-awakened. 302:677,13[A ]| This did not last too long, however, for I was glad to have something 302:677,14[A ]| professional in which to interest my friend, and a "case" to work up in 302:677,15[A ]| his company and without any interference. And so I quickly told him 302:677,16[A ]| the whole story, standing as I did so where the girl Maria could observe 302:677,17[A ]| us from her post on the range. 302:677,18@a | "There she is coming," 302:677,18[A ]| I said, when I saw her appear from behind the 302:677,19[A ]| rocks, and approach with a timid air. 302:677,19@a | "Now, what do you think of it, 302:677,20@a | Ned? Where do you think the woman had disposed of this body?" 302:677,21@b | "Was there a body at all?" 302:677,21[A ]| asks my cautious friend. 302:677,21@b | "Suppose it was 302:677,22@b | simply a case of turn out that the frightened girl witnessed? It might 302:677,23@b | be, you know." 302:677,24@a | "And the watch and brooch and ring, eh?" 302:677,25@b | "True; that part of the matter is suspicious. The girl recognised 302:677,26@b | \them\, eh?" 302:677,27@a | "She declares that the strange lady wore the brooch on her arrival." 302:677,28@b | "Well, let us go in and have a look at this woman ~~ nay, I suppose you 302:677,29@b | are justified in arresting her, and then we can have a thorough search of 302:677,30@b | the premises. Ah! here is your informant." 302:677,31@a | "Oh, please sir, I am afraid." 302:677,32@b | "You need not at all be afraid, my girl," 302:677,32[A ]| said Dillon, kindly, as I told 302:677,33[A ]| the girl to follow us in. 302:677,33@b | "We are here, two men, and surely it must be a 302:677,34@b | strange woman that can injure you while we are by." 302:677,35[A ]| Mrs%*Murdoch was engaged in some preparations for a meal, which she 302:677,36[A ]| probably concluded would be required by the traveller; and when I spoke 302:677,37[A ]| to her, she was bending over the fire, intent upon a pan, or saucepan, or 302:677,38[A ]| something of that sort. 302:677,39@a | "Here is your runaway, Mrs%*Murdoch; I daresay she has got about enough 302:677,40@a | of bush for one spell." 302:677,41[A ]| The woman looked up hastily, and bent such piercing eyes upon the 302:677,42[A ]| trembling girl that she drew back, as if she was about to run for it again. 302:677,43@c | "What did you go away for, Maria?" 302:677,44[A ]| The tone in which this question was asked was calm enough, but there 302:677,45[A ]| was a volume of suppressed feeling in the woman's examining eyes that 302:677,46[A ]| were fixed upon the girl, as if to read into her very soul. 302:677,47@c | "Why did you run away?" 302:677,48@a | "Oh, there is no use in asking her," 302:677,48[A ]| I answered. 302:677,48@a | "I found her up in 302:677,49@a | the range, and you were evidently quite right about her head; the poor 302:677,50@a | thing has a shingle loose, and there is no use paying any attention to her." 302:677,51[A ]| This observation seemed to relieve the landlady, who returned to her 302:677,52[A ]| employment, while I induced Maria to creep forward and sit by the fire, 302:677,53[A ]| promising her a share of our dinner presently. 302:677,54[A ]| Taking advantage of a short absence on the part of our dark, broad 302:677,55[A ]| landlady, Dillon whispered to me an anxiety that I should defer my arrest 302:677,56[A ]| until evening. 302:677,57@b | "Did you call this woman Murdoch?" 302:677,57[A ]| he inquired. 302:677,58@a | "Yes, I believe that is the name of the poor invalid," 302:677,58[A ]| I replied. 302:677,59@b | "Good heaven, then the murdered woman was a fellow passenger of 302:677,60@b | mine; and a nice, genteel, amiable woman she was. I have no doubt I 302:677,61@b | have seen that brooch and watch you speak of a hundred times. Look 302:677,62@b | here, let this thing rest till night, for if you arrest her now it will only 302:677,63@b | insure more trouble in guarding her, as we can not get help before to-morrow." 302:677,64@b | 302:677,65@a | "And to-morrow?" 302:677,66@b | "Why, there is an extra coach going to run to-morrow, and we can send 302:677,67@b | word to the nearest station for assistance." 302:677,68[A ]| And so it was settled. Mrs%*Murdoch was evidently unsuspicious of 302:677,69[A ]| any design against her liberty, and, as evening approached, busied herself 302:677,70[A ]| in her usual attendance on the fire and on her sick husband, who had 302:677,71[A ]| lain in a sort of torpor all day, as appeared to be usual with him. Toward 302:677,72[A ]| night, however, when the candle was lighted, and the dark curtain drawn 302:677,73[A ]| from before his bed more fully, I noticed that his eye began to wander, 302:677,74[A ]| as it had done on the previous evening, and that, more especially, it followed 302:677,75[A ]| every one of my movements. Did the poor man yet remember the 302:677,76[A ]| watch he had seen in my possession? 302:677,77[A ]| At length night had fairly closed in, and after I had attended to my 302:677,78[A ]| horse, I joined Dillon in a pipe by the fire. Mrs%*Murdoch had set Maria 302:677,79[A ]| to wash up the supper dishes, and she herself was moving about the room 302:677,80[A ]| attending to her usual employments. The sick man lay like a sheeted 302:677,81[A ]| corpse on the white bed, only an occasional gleam of his hollow eyes 302:677,82[A ]| giving evidence that he was still in the land of the living. Such was 302:677,83[A ]| the position of affairs when Dillon withdrew his pipe from his mouth for 302:677,84[A ]| a moment, and asked, 302:677,85@b | "Is this whitewashing of floors as well as walls a common thing in the 302:677,86@b | colony, Mark?" 302:677,87@a | "Well, I have seen pipeclay a good deal used in country places," 302:677,87[A ]| I replied; 302:677,88@a | "but Mrs%*Murdoch appears to patronise lime. Is it not lime that 302:677,89@a | you use, Mrs%*Murdoch?" 301:678,01@c | "Yes, sir," 301:678,01[A ]| with a short, suspicious glance toward us both, 301:678,01@c | "it is thought 301:678,02@c | to do good where there is sickness, I believe." 301:678,03@b | "Well it puts one horribly in mind of it at any rate," 301:678,03[A ]| observed Dillon 301:678,04[A ]| again; 301:678,04@b | "and of something worse, I think. There always seems to me to 301:678,05@b | be a smell of death hanging about where it is. Do you know when I came 301:678,06@b | in here this evening I could almost have sworn that there was a corpse in 301:678,07@b | the house, Mrs%*** Mrs%***" 301:678,08@a | "Murdoch!" 301:678,08[A ]| I finished, closely watching my friend at the same 301:678,09[A ]| moment. 301:678,10[A ]| As he made the observation I have written he had turned sharply towards 301:678,11[A ]| the woman, who stared at him as if fascinated. 301:678,12@b | "Did you say Murdoch?" 301:678,13@a | "Yes, that is our hostess's name, I understand," 301:678,13[A ]| I answered. 301:678,14@b | "How strange," 301:678,14[A ]| muttered Ned, still gazing at the woman: 301:678,14@b | "I had a 301:678,15@b | fellow passenger of that name, a nice little dark-haired creature, not at 301:678,16@b | all like you though, ma'am. She was not half so strong as you, my good 301:678,17@b | lady; no, not half. She would have had no chance whatever in a tussel 301:678,18@b | with you, you know; but she was a nice woman and a \good\ woman, I 301:678,19@b | believe; and she used to wear a little gold watch with a ribbon guard, and 301:678,20@b | a brooch with a man's likeness in it, most probably her husband's. Did 301:678,21@b | you know that Mrs%*Murdoch, ma'am?" 301:678,22[A ]| You might have heard a pin drop at that moment, as the saying is. My 301:678,23[A ]| friend, with his meaning words and inquiring eye turned toward the 301:678,24[A ]| woman who, with her hand suspended over the article she had just been 301:678,25[A ]| placing on the table, met his look with a stony face, growing every 301:678,26[A ]| moment whiter and more rigid. The girl Maria, too, meeting with a terrified 301:678,27[A ]| countenance the inquiry of Ned, and answering, as forgetful of consequences, 301:678,28[A ]| in her extreme interest, as if she had never seen a murder 301:678,29[A ]| committed by that fearful woman standing so close to her. 301:678,30@b | "Did you know that Mrs%*Murdoch, ma'am?" 301:678,30[A ]| were those last words of 301:678,31[A ]| Dillon. 301:678,32[A ]| And the startled girl had answered, 301:678,33@d | "Oh, yes, that was the woman she smothered?" 301:678,34[A ]| Most fortunate was it for that girl that Ned*Dillon's movements were 301:678,35[A ]| quick at that moment, for her words had evidently aroused the tiger in 301:678,36[A ]| the breast of that wretched woman. She turned a face of such deadly 301:678,37[A ]| import toward the poor child that words were not necessary to warn us 301:678,38[A ]| of danger. 301:678,39[A ]| In one second Ned had sprung from his seat and seized both her arms 301:678,40[A ]| in a firm grip; and his whole manner was changed as he thundered out 301:678,41[A ]| into her ears, 301:678,42@b | "What have you done with that poor creature you murdered, woman? 301:678,43@b | Where have you hid her? Speak!" 301:678,44[A ]| Such an answer came as we had little dreamt of. Almost while the 301:678,45[A ]| last words were proceeding from Dillon's lips I had clasped the handcuffs 301:678,46[A ]| on the wrists of the desperate woman, who had already commenced to 301:678,47[A ]| struggle fearfully in a vain attempt to free herself from Ned's grip; and 301:678,48[A ]| scarcely had the words themselves ceased when a terrifying shriek from 301:678,49[A ]| the bed sent a thrill of horror in every vein. 301:678,50@w | "Murder!" 301:678,51[A ]| The poor man had found voice in the utterance of that terrible word, 301:678,52[A ]| and when we turned towards him he was sitting up in the bed, every 301:678,53[A ]| feature convulsed, and a deadly horror of both death and murder depicted 301:678,54[A ]| in it. Before a word could be uttered, or a hand put forth to prevent 301:678,55[A ]| him, the wretched being had sprung from the bed in a frenzy of madness, 301:678,56[A ]| and with the last convulsive effort of dying nature, and with one 301:678,57[A ]| bound, as it were, he had reached the little counter and was pointing with 301:678,58[A ]| one finger towards the floor, and the other towards the now trembling 301:678,59[A ]| woman in my hands. It was a fearful sight, and one never to be eradicated 301:678,60[A ]| from memory, that old man in his shroud-like gown, with the bones 301:678,61[A ]| almost protruding through his emaciated body, and the fire of decay in 301:678,62[A ]| his eyes. 301:678,63@w | "There!" 301:678,63[A ]| he cried, pointing and waving his hand like a maniac, and 301:678,64[A ]| then he fell back into the arms of Dillon, who gently lifted him and 301:678,65[A ]| carried him back to bed. 301:678,66[A ]| I do not think the woman would have been capable of flight, had 301:678,67[A ]| we released her and told her to run for her life. She never uttered a 301:678,68[A ]| single word during the whole of the awful scenes that followed, but sat 301:678,69[A ]| like a woman deprived of all her senses save sight, in the chair into which 301:678,70[A ]| I quietly pushed her before I went to the bed to see if I could do anything 301:678,71[A ]| for her victim. It was too late, however; I saw that at a glance, 301:678,72[A ]| for the man was evidently dying, but dying with a look fixed upon me, in 301:678,73[A ]| which I fancied I could read a history. I put my hand in my pocket, and 301:678,74[A ]| drawing out the little watch, I held it before his eyes for a moment and 301:678,75[A ]| then I laid it in his hand. The effect was magical. His eyes lighted up, 301:678,76[A ]| and with an effort, he raised the watch to his lips, and breathed his very 301:678,77[A ]| last sigh upon it. 301:678,78@b | "You understand him, Mark," 301:678,78[A ]| said Dillon, as the eyelids fell softly 301:678,79[A ]| over the dim eyes. 301:678,79@b | "You have made his last breath sweet to him." 301:678,80[A ]| Every move of her dying husband must have been witnessed by the 301:678,81[A ]| infamous creature who sat there, gazing at him to the last. Yet she made 301:678,82[A ]| no sign. What were her feelings, if they were not in that hour a sufficient 301:678,83[A ]| punishment for all her sins, God only knows, for she never told 301:678,84[A ]| them. 301:678,85[A ]| I need not detain you with the little details of that night, farther than 301:678,86[A ]| to say, that I rode over to procure assistance from the nearest station, and 301:678,87[A ]| that, just as grey dawn was struggling against the darkness of night, we 301:678,88[A ]| overhauled the spot pointed out by the dead man, and found the body of 301:678,89[A ]| his wife. Doubtless he had witnessed the murderess in her horrible task, 302:678,01[A ]| as the bar was directly opposite the bed; and what must he have 302:678,02[A ]| suffered, conscious of such a crime, yet utterly unable to prevent it. 302:678,03[A ]| There had been a rude sort of excavation under the counter, which 302:678,04[A ]| Maria, the girl, told us had been used as a place to keep the butter, &c%, 302:678,05[A ]| cool in summer, in fact a sort of make-shift cellar. It was about four feet 302:678,06[A ]| in depth, and was covered by a sort of trap door of slabs. On this door 302:678,07[A ]| the murderess had piled barrels and cases, but these once removed, and 302:678,08[A ]| the trap lifted, the terrible sight was disclosed. 302:678,09[A ]| Tumbled in, any way, was the body of a woman. Not the slightest care 302:678,10[A ]| had been taken in the disposal of the remains. The dimensions of the 302:678,11[A ]| hole were so small, that it had apparently been a matter of some little 302:678,12[A ]| difficulty to get the corpse jammed close enough to admit of the door 302:678,13[A ]| resting on a level with the floor. Over the body had been poured a 302:678,14[A ]| quantity of lime, doubtless in the expectation that it would prevent any 302:678,15[A ]| tell-tale impunity, and quicken decomposition; but how did that creature 302:678,16[A ]| think of living there, day after day, while the bones of her victim rotted 302:678,17[A ]| into earth? 302:678,18[A ]| Not a feature changed as the body was laid upon her own table, and 302:678,19[A ]| not two yards from the seat upon which she sat, as rigid almost as the 302:678,20[A ]| limbs of the dead. Not a word of reply made she to the numerous questions 302:678,21[A ]| put to her; and so she mounted to the drop, and was, voiceless, 302:678,22[A ]| whirled into an unknown eternity. 402:045,01@@@@@| 402:045,01[' ]| 402:045,02[' ]| Many of my readers will have observed that many "corner" 402:045,03[' ]| shops, whatever their location, are known by the names of their 402:045,04[' ]| owners. 402:045,05[' ]| The one I am going to introduce you to was literally a corner 402:045,06[' ]| shop, and the individuality of the man who kept it had obscured 402:045,07[' ]| the very name of the street. You never heard his shop called the 402:045,08[' ]| corner shop; it was "Jones" or "old Jones'," and the corner at 402:045,09[' ]| which it stood was, and is "Jones'*Corner." 402:045,10[' ]| I introduce Jones and his place of business to you on one sunny 402:045,11[' ]| afternoon in March, when Lumsden, the new "bobby," was airing 402:045,12[' ]| his dignity in taking a survey of this particular part of a beat that 402:045,13[' ]| was quite new to him. Indeed, all beats were new to the young 402:045,14[' ]| man, who had only just been "called in," though his name had 402:045,15[' ]| been on the list of applicants for police employment for a good 402:045,16[' ]| while. Lumsden was an especially raw recruit, and as full of an 402:045,17[' ]| idea of his own importance as raw police recruits generally are. 402:045,18[' ]| He was standing on the pavement engaged in a condescending 402:045,19[' ]| conversation with a sharp-looking resident named Jack*Turner, a 402:045,20[' ]| man of forty, perhaps, and of a small, wiry build. Turner had 402:045,21[' ]| been relating to Lumsden a legend of the neighbourhood, about 402:045,22[' ]| which the policeman was disposed to air his superior knowledge. 402:045,23[B ]| "And do you tell me, now, that there are live people hereabouts 402:045,24[B ]| so ignorant as to believe that kind of a yarn?" 402:045,24[' ]| he asked, with a 402:045,25[' ]| smile that puffed his fat cheeks out till they met the collar of his 402:045,26[' ]| jumper. 402:045,27[C ]| "Plenty of them; why a man can not help believin' what he sees 402:045,28[C ]| with his own eyes." 402:045,29[B ]| "And have you seen it?" 402:045,30[C ]| "Yes, I have, and many more than me; but if you want to hear 402:045,31[C ]| all about it just ask old Jones ~~ \he\ knows the story from the 402:045,32[C ]| beginning." 402:045,33[' ]| Perhaps Lumsden would not have condescended to exhibit his 402:045,34[' ]| curiosity to old Jones or any*one else if he had not been provided 402:045,35[' ]| with a convenient excuse. He was standing in front of Turner's 402:045,36[' ]| door, and the corner shop was obliquely opposite when a man came 402:045,37[' ]| to the door of the shop, and, with his face turned back, indulged 402:045,38[' ]| in some pretty strong language that was apparently addressed to 402:045,39[' ]| old Jones himself. 402:045,40[B ]| "Who is that?" 402:045,40[' ]| asked Lumsden of his new acquaintance. 402:045,41[C ]| "It is a chap that lives down the lane behind here. Jerry*Swipes 402:045,42[C ]| they calls him; him and old Jones are always having 402:045,43[C ]| rows." 402:045,44[B ]| "What about?" 402:045,45[C ]| "Goodness knows. Jerry is in the old man's debt I fancy, and 402:045,46[C ]| its hard to get any money out of Swipes." 402:045,47[B ]| "Jerry*Swipes? Is that the man's real name?" 402:045,48[C ]| "Blest if I can tell you, but it \may\ be a nickname, for he is a 402:045,49[C ]| regular swipe and no mistake." 402:045,50[' ]| While Lumsden had been gaining this information, Jerry ~~ a tall, 402:045,51[' ]| slouching figure, with a sandy face and a long, sharp nose ~~ had 402:045,52[' ]| been roaring his uncomplimentary remarks to old Jones, who now 402:045,53[' ]| came to the door of his shop with a red and angry face, as Swipes 402:045,54[' ]| edged up the street toward the lane. 402:045,55[D ]| "Do not let me catch you inside my shop again!" 402:045,55[' ]| shouted the 402:045,56[' ]| old man, as he shook his fist after Jerry; 402:045,56[D ]| "as sure as I do I will 402:045,57[D ]| give you in charge! You are nothing but a sneakin' thief ~~ that is 402:045,58[D ]| what you are!" 402:045,59[E ]| "I will ram them words down your old throat one of these days!" 402:045,60[' ]| shrieked Jerry, as he reached the end of his lane. 402:045,60[E ]| "Police, is it? 402:045,61[E ]| By gar, it will be police with yourself first! You will give me a glass 402:045,62[E ]| of whisky next time I call? Eh, old man!" 402:045,62[' ]| and the dirty 402:045,63[' ]| unkempt-looking mortal disappeared into the mouth of the 402:045,64[' ]| unsavory right-of-way. 402:045,65[' ]| Old Jones' vituperation stopped as suddenly as Jerry disappeared, 402:045,66[' ]| and such a look of fear came into the twinkling eyes under 402:045,67[' ]| his penthouse, ragged eyebrows that even Lumsden observed it, 402:045,68[' ]| and Turner had to turn away his face to hide the grin of enjoyment 402:045,69[' ]| that over-spread his parchment-dried visage; but he controlled 402:045,70[' ]| himself to remark ere he entered his door ~~ 402:045,71[C ]| "Now is your time to go and ask old Jones about the phantom 402:045,72[C ]| funeral, and you will be sure to hear all about this quarrel with 402:045,73[C ]| Jerry." 402:045,74[' ]| Lumsden took the hint, and marching across the narrow street 402:045,75[' ]| was at "Jones" almost as soon as the old man had got behind 402:045,76[' ]| his counter again. 401:046,01[' ]| "Jones'" had all the characteristics of a thriving corner shop, 401:046,02[' ]| with a little extra dirt and untidiness into the bargain. It was so 401:046,03[' ]| small that the counter on two sides left but little space for the use 401:046,04[' ]| of customers, that small space being further curtailed by "stock" 401:046,05[' ]| in the form of boxes of soap, bags of potatoes, rice, oatmeal and 401:046,06[' ]| sugar. The narrow shelves were laden with fly-marked packages, 401:046,07[' ]| and boxes and bottles of great variety; and the space that ought 401:046,08[' ]| to be empty under the ceiling was hung with brooms, brushes, 401:046,09[' ]| clothes-lines, and tinware, the original brightness of which was 401:046,10[' ]| dimmed by age and smoke. Into this confined emporium 401:046,11[' ]| Constable*Lumsden stepped, meeting old Jones' suspicious eyes 401:046,12[' ]| as that worthy very unceremoniously resumed his usual seat 401:046,13[' ]| behind the counter, placed his spectacles astride his nose, and with 401:046,14[' ]| a sharp rustle shook out the morning paper on his knee. 401:046,15[B ]| "Good day to you," 401:046,15[' ]| said the young policeman as he looked 401:046,16[' ]| curiously around him. 401:046,17[D ]| "Good day it is; what can I serve you with?" 401:046,18[B ]| "Serve? Oh, nothing, I heard some strong language at your 401:046,19[B ]| door just now, and came in to see what it was all about." 401:046,20[' ]| Old Jones gave his paper an angry rustle as he answered ~~ 401:046,21[D ]| "If you come in here to know what is the matter every time I get 401:046,22[D ]| cheek from a customer you will not be able to do much in the other 401:046,23[D ]| parts of your beat." 401:046,24[B ]| "The cheek was not all on the customer's side this time. I 401:046,25[B ]| heard you calling the man a thief, and in the open street. That is 401:046,26[B ]| something in my line, you will allow?" 401:046,27[D ]| "And so he is a thief," 401:046,27[' ]| cried old Jones, angrily; 401:046,27[D ]| "he is the 401:046,28[D ]| biggest loafer in Melbourne. He never comes near the shop only 401:046,29[D ]| when he wants to shake a plug of tobacco or a pipe." 401:046,30[B ]| "What did he shake to-day?" 401:046,31[D ]| "When I want to lay a charge against him I will take it up to the 401:046,32[D ]| sergeant," 401:046,32[' ]| said old Jones, expecting that it would shut up the 401:046,33[' ]| officious young trap. But it had very little effect on Constable*Lumsden, 401:046,34[' ]| who was, fortunately for himself, not very thin-skinned. 401:046,35[B ]| "Ah! two might play at visiting the sergeant. If Jerry*Swipes 401:046,36[B ]| went up himself he has a very good charge against you, and me 401:046,37[B ]| for a witness. It is again' the laws to call a man a thief in the 401:046,38[B ]| open street." 401:046,39[D ]| "I can prove it." 401:046,40[B ]| "If you could prove it twice over, all the same the law will not 401:046,41[B ]| allow you to do it; and I would advise you to give him that glass of 401:046,42[B ]| whiskey he seems to expect from you the next time you get the 401:046,43[B ]| chance." 401:046,44[' ]| At this second allusion to the whiskey, old Jones once more 401:046,45[' ]| grew white under Lumsden's observing eyes, and his knobby, 401:046,46[' ]| hard hands shook so that they rustled the paper he held. Seeing 401:046,47[' ]| this repeated agitation at the allusion to spirits, Lumsden took it 401:046,48[' ]| into his head that drink was sold "on the sly" at Jones', and he 401:046,49[' ]| determined to keep a close watch on the place in future. 401:046,50[' ]| The old man made no immediate reply to Lumsden's advice 401:046,51[' ]| about the treatment of his enemy, Jerry. He was considering 401:046,52[' ]| within himself that it would, perhaps, be better for his own 401:046,53[' ]| interests that he should take a different tone with the new policeman. 401:046,54[' ]| The independent sharpness of Lumsden was a new 401:046,55[' ]| experience at the Corner, the last man on the beat having been an 401:046,56[' ]| old, steady-going policeman, who duly considered Mr%*Jones' status 401:046,57[' ]| in the neighbourhood, and was friendly accordingly. Old Jones 401:046,58[' ]| would have liked to twist the impertinent young constable's neck, 401:046,59[' ]| but he tried to do the amiable instead ~~ a very difficult matter for 401:046,60[' ]| the crusty old man. 401:046,61[D ]| "The fact is my temper is wore out with them sort of 401:046,62[D ]| customers," 401:046,62[' ]| he said, with a sigh at his amiability. 401:046,62[D ]| "It is a very 401:046,63[D ]| low neighbourhood, especially down Long's-lane, and it is getting 401:046,64[D ]| lower every day. They get a few things from you, then they get 401:046,65[D ]| into your books somehow, in spite of you, and they wind up with 401:046,66[D ]| dropping in to steal when they think your back is turned." 401:046,67[B ]| "A bad business," 401:046,67[' ]| returned Lumsden, but without the least 401:046,68[' ]| intonation of sympathy. 401:046,68[B ]| "What does that fellow you were 401:046,69[B ]| jawing to do for a living?" 401:046,70[D ]| "Jerry*Swipes? Ah! he would be puzzled to tell you. He hires a 401:046,71[D ]| truck, and pretends to attend to the markets, and that. I have heard 401:046,72[D ]| of him rag and bottle gathering, but it is all a blind." 401:046,73[B ]| "You have been a long time in the neighbourhood, I suppose?" 401:046,74[' ]| asked Lumsden, as failing anything else in view, he took a pinch 401:046,75[' ]| out of the oatmeal bag, and began to munch it. 401:046,76[D ]| "I have been nigh on thirty year in this house and this shop, and 401:046,77[D ]| if anyone knows the neighbourhood I ought to." 401:046,78[B ]| "Ye***es, I suppose so," 401:046,78[' ]| was the slow and evidently absent 401:046,79[' ]| reply; 401:046,79[B ]| "and that reminds me; I have been told some ridiculous yarn 401:046,80[B ]| about the ghost of a hearse that appears about here. Can you tell 401:046,81[B ]| me anything about it?" 402:046,01[D ]| "There is nothing ridiculous about it, young man; it is only too 402:046,02[D ]| true that the Phantom*Funeral, as people have got to call it, is often 402:046,03[D ]| seen in S*** and O*** street. I have seen it often, and I know 402:046,04[D ]| how it began. There is not a man in C*** can tell you as much 402:046,05[D ]| as I can about it." 402:046,06[' ]| Old Jones' air had quite undergone a change when his 402:046,07[' ]| favourite topic came to be dwelt on; the paper was cast aside, and 402:046,08[' ]| he rose from the old arm-chair. He took off his old, greasy felt 402:046,09[' ]| hat, and ran his fingers through his stubby grey hair until it 402:046,10[' ]| stood nearly straight up, and then he replaced the hat and 402:046,11[' ]| "ahem***ed," as he looked inquiringly towards Lumsden. 402:046,12[B ]| "I would like to hear the story," 402:046,12[' ]| said the latter, as he looked out of 402:046,13[' ]| the door to see there was no "duty" staring him in the face, and 402:046,14[' ]| then leaned easily agaisnt the heap of bags, as he listened to old 402:046,15[' ]| Jones. 402:046,16[D ]| "It is getting on for twelve years ago now since that hearse was 402:046,17[D ]| first seen, and people always said it was because Sam*Brown was 402:046,18[D ]| carried out of No%*9 in the dead of the night, and taken to the 402:046,19[D ]| morgue, without common decency, in a dray. Sam was murdered 402:046,20[D ]| or committed suicide ~~ it was never actually decided which ~~ and 402:046,21[D ]| from that day to this the hearse haunts the place as a sort of 402:046,22[D ]| revenge on the neighbours that they did not pay more respect to his 402:046,23[D ]| remains." 402:046,24[B ]| "But that is trash," 402:046,24[' ]| said Lumsden. 402:046,24[B ]| "How could a dead man 402:046,25[B ]| set a hearse to haunt a neighbourhood? I do not believe a word of 402:046,26[B ]| it." 402:046,27[D ]| "I have heard a many say that, as grew white to hear the hearse 402:046,28[D ]| mentioned within less than a year after," 402:046,28[' ]| returned old Jones, 402:046,29[' ]| solemnly. 402:046,29[D ]| "It is the scoffers as see it, and it is not lucky to see 402:046,30[D ]| it." 402:046,31[B ]| "Not lucky?" 402:046,32[D ]| "No. If a man sees it ~~ as you may when you are on night 402:046,33[D ]| duty ~~ the best thing he can do is to turn his back and walk away 402:046,34[D ]| from it. There has never been a man foolhardy enough to watch 402:046,35[D ]| it but he died within the year." 402:046,36[B ]| "But you have see it often, you say?" 402:046,37[D ]| "Aye, by chance. One night a woman was very bad down 402:046,38[D ]| Long's-lane there, and she was not expected to live over the night. 402:046,39[D ]| I got quite nervous like, and could not sleep. It was a bright 402:046,40[D ]| moonlight, and about two o'clock in the morning I saw a slow 402:046,41[D ]| shadow cross the blind of my window there. Before I had time 402:046,42[D ]| to think, I was out on the floor and had the curtain in my hand, 402:046,43[D ]| for I thought it was the ""Phantom*Hearse."" It was. I saw it for 402:046,44[D ]| a moment moving slowly past, and I dropped the blind quick, and 402:046,45[D ]| got into bed again." 402:046,46[B ]| "What was it like?" 402:046,46[' ]| asked Lumsden. 402:046,47[D ]| "Like a plain, low, box-hearse, all black, and with one black 402:046,48[D ]| horse in it. Sometimes there is a driver, and sometimes a man in 402:046,49[D ]| black walks at the horse's head. It makes no sound, and is like a 402:046,50[D ]| dream." 402:046,51[B ]| "By George, I would make a nightmare of it!" 402:046,51[' ]| cried the young trap. 402:046,52[B ]| "Do you mean to tell me that no man has ever had the courage 402:046,53[B ]| to walk up to the thing and grip it?" 402:046,54[D ]| "No man has ever been foolhardy enough to go straight to his 402:046,55[D ]| deathbed that way," 402:046,55[' ]| was the serious answer. 402:046,56[' ]| But the unbelieving policeman laughed aloud as he raised himself 402:046,57[' ]| and went toward the door, saying lightly ~~ 402:046,58[B ]| "Well, here is one man that will take the first chance of \feeling\ 402:046,59[B ]| what that ghostly machine is made of, at all events. Good 402:046,60[B ]| gracious! To think people believe such yarns as that!" 402:046,61[' ]| As soon as Lumsden had left the shop Jones's face fell, and 402:046,62[' ]| he muttered uneasily to himself as he stood by the counter, 402:046,63[' ]| with his hands upon it, and an anxious look in his scowling 402:046,64[' ]| face. He was not at any time a pleasant picture, that old 402:046,65[' ]| Jones of the corner shop, but he looked absolutely repellant as 402:046,66[' ]| he stood muttering to himself, with his ragged eyebrows almost 402:046,67[' ]| met in an anxious scowl. 402:046,68[' ]| A few minutes later the old man, dashing the old greasy hat 402:046,69[' ]| under the counter, began to divest himself of his rag of a coat, 402:046,70[' ]| leaving the shop by the back as he did so. He went through a very 402:046,71[' ]| slovenly kitchen, and to the verandah at the back of it, where an 402:046,72[' ]| old, meanly-attired woman was washing in a wooden tub that 402:046,73[' ]| seemed almost as old as herself. She looked up with a frightened 402:046,74[' ]| air as Jones shouted at her ~~ 402:046,75[D ]| "Margery!" 402:046,76[F ]| "Yes, master." 402:046,77[D ]| "Leave that washing, and get on a clean apron. I am going 402:046,78[D ]| out; you will have to mind the shop." 402:046,79[F ]| "Yes, master;" 402:046,79[' ]| and the thin, trembling arms were being hastily 402:046,80[' ]| wiped in her wet apron as she was hurrying away. 402:046,81[D ]| "Stop. I want to speak to you." 401:047,01[' ]| She stopped instantly, and humbly turned an apparently vacant 401:047,02[' ]| face towards him. 401:047,03[D ]| "You have got to watch that boy ~~ that is \your\ business, you 401:047,04[D ]| know. Do not \you\ go trying to serve, or you will poison someone, 401:047,05[D ]| but keep your eyes \sharp\ on Con. You hear?" 401:047,06[' ]| It would be queer if she did not hear, for the man was roaring at 401:047,07[' ]| the top of his voice, and at every emphasized word the poor old 401:047,08[' ]| creature jumped. 401:047,09[F ]| "I hear. I will watch him well." 401:047,10[D ]| "I will leave nothing in the till; and, \mind\, see that there is 401:047,11[D ]| something in it when I come back. Give \no credit\. Do you hear?" 401:047,12[F ]| "Yes, master. I will let nothing go without the money." 401:047,13[D ]| "And \count\ it before you let the things go out of your hands." 401:047,14[F ]| "Yes, master." 401:047,15[' ]| While Jones had been giving these instructions he had been 401:047,16[' ]| making a pretence of a wash in the old woman's 401:047,17[' ]| suds, and when he dismissed her with a nod he seized a grimy 401:047,18[' ]| old towel, and rubbed his face with it. It seemd as if Jones was 401:047,19[' ]| in an awful hurry, for he had not finished with the towel when he 401:047,20[' ]| had crossed the littered yard, and was giving some more orders to 401:047,21[' ]| a sharp-looking boy of about thirteen who had been occupied in 401:047,22[' ]| washing bottles in a dilapidated shed. 401:047,23[D ]| "Con!" 401:047,24[G ]| "Yes, sir!" 401:047,25[D ]| "I am going out for an hour or so, and the old woman is to mind 401:047,26[D ]| the shop; \you\ keep your eye on her." 401:047,27[G ]| "Yes, sir." 401:047,28[D ]| "Let her sit in the chair and count the money. Do you serve, 401:047,29[D ]| and mind do not give ONE PENNY OF CREDIT!" 401:047,30[G ]| "Very well, sir." 401:047,31[D ]| "And watch the old woman well; see that she does not get 401:047,32[D ]| slipping a penny now and then into some corner of her gown. 401:047,33[D ]| I have known her do it afore." 401:047,34[G ]| "I will watch her close, sir." 401:047,35[D ]| "That is right. And see you keep account of every penn'orth 401:047,36[D ]| you let go." 401:047,37[G ]| "I will be very careful, sir." 401:047,38[' ]| Ten minutes afterward old Jones was scuttling away down the 401:047,39[' ]| street pretty easy in his mind, because he had put in practice his 401:047,40[' ]| favourite receipt for keeping people honest. 401:047,40[D ]| "Set one to watch 401:047,41[D ]| the other!" 401:047,41[' ]| he would say, 401:047,41[D ]| "that is the way to do it! You do not 401:047,42[D ]| want no detectives if you set one to watch the other!" 401:047,43[' ]| Very few would have recognised the two happy faces that 401:047,44[' ]| beamed behind old Jones' counter that afternoon to be those of 401:047,45[' ]| the stupid, hopeless-looking old woman who was previously slopping 401:047,46[' ]| grimy rags at the back, and the half-discontented one of the 401:047,47[' ]| boy who had listened with such outward respect to a master he 401:047,48[' ]| both disliked and despised. 401:047,49[' ]| The old woman, who was no other than old Jones' lawful wife, 401:047,50[' ]| sat in Jones' chair stiffly and upright, with her hands folded on a 401:047,51[' ]| clean white apron and a broad-bordered, starched muslin cap on 401:047,52[' ]| her unsteady head. Her withered old face beaming with 401:047,53[' ]| pride and delight, and with an air of dignity that was pitiful when one 401:047,54[' ]| knew its short lived nature. The one happiness of poor old Mrs%*Jones 401:047,55[' ]| was in being permitted to play at keeping shop, for it was 401:047,56[' ]| only play after all, Con doing in reality whatever was necessary 401:047,57[' ]| in the small sales. Con was very busy just now wiping down the 401:047,58[' ]| counter and 401:047,58[G ]| "tidying up things a bit," 401:047,58[' ]| as he was wont to call it, 401:047,59[' ]| when speaking to Mrs%*Jones. 401:047,60[F ]| "Is not this fine!" 401:047,60[' ]| cried the gratified old creature with a child's 401:047,61[' ]| unreasoning delight. 401:047,61[F ]| "If the master would go away oftener and 401:047,62[F ]| let us keep shop, Con, would not it be nice." 401:047,63[G ]| "It would," 401:047,63[' ]| answered the boy with some decision, 401:047,63[G ]| "but no 401:047,64[G ]| sich luck. Some old men die, but the likes of \him\ never dies." 401:047,65[F ]| "I wish he would die," 401:047,65[' ]| Mrs%*Jones said in a deep whisper to 401:047,66[' ]| the lad. 401:047,66[F ]| "I am allays a*wishing it. If he did there would be no*one 401:047,67[F ]| to knock me about, and I would sit in the shop allays. I 401:047,68[F ]| wish that dead-hearse would stop right under his window some 401:047,69[F ]| night, I do!" 401:047,70[G ]| "Did you ever see the dead-hearse, Mrs%*Jones?" 401:047,70[' ]| questioned 401:047,71[' ]| the boy as he ceased rubbing at the counter, and looked at the 401:047,72[' ]| old woman curiously. 401:047,73[F ]| "I did," 401:047,73[' ]| she replied, with an energetic nod that set her wide 401:047,74[' ]| cap-frills bobbing. 401:047,74[F ]| "I seed it one night last March. The master 401:047,75[F ]| he woke me up to see it. It was passing the window, and stopped 401:047,76[F ]| opposite Grinder's. Mrs%*Grinder she died next day but one. 401:047,77[F ]| That is the reason I would not never sleep in that front room again; 401:047,78[F ]| and, besides, the master he was allays a-knockin' me about for 401:047,79[F ]| snorin'. I do not snore. \He\ does." 401:047,80[E ]| "Aye! Jones wanted to get you out of his room, missis, and he 401:047,81[E ]| was not short of an excuse. \I\ know!" 402:047,01[' ]| This unexpected remark was made by no other than Jerry*Swipes, 402:047,02[' ]| whose lanky figure had entered the shop unobserved in 402:047,03[' ]| the deep interest attached to the "dead-hearse," as poor old Mrs%*Jones 402:047,04[' ]| called it. Con stared at the man, but Mrs%*Jones was on 402:047,05[' ]| her dignity, and bridling asked 402:047,05@f | what business it was of 402:047,06@f | Jerry*Swipes? 402:047,07[E ]| "None, missis, none whatsomever, only no man as is a man 402:047,08[E ]| likes to see a lawful wife med a slave of and beat when 402:047,09[E ]| another woman ~~ but it is none of my business. Con, hand me a 402:047,10[E ]| threepenny plug and a pipe." 402:047,11[F ]| "You do not know what you are talking of, Jerry*Swipes!" 402:047,11[' ]| cried 402:047,12[' ]| Mrs%*Jones, with angry suspicion. 402:047,12[F ]| "It was my own doins as 402:047,13[F ]| made me go to sleep in the back room." 402:047,14[E ]| "Was it? Oh, then, maybe you knows what Jones does of a 402:047,15[E ]| night since you left. If ye does not, jest watch him, and you will 402:047,16[E ]| see, that is all." 402:047,17[' ]| Listening open-mouthed to these strange words of the disreputable 402:047,18[' ]| customer, Con had mechanically laid the required 402:047,19[' ]| articles on the counter. In an instant the tobacco and pipe were 402:047,20[' ]| transferred to Jerry's pocket, and his ragged ulster wrapped over 402:047,21[' ]| them. 402:047,22[E ]| "Put them down, me boy," 402:047,22[' ]| he said, with a leer, as he made for 402:047,23[' ]| the door. 402:047,23[E ]| "Me credit is always good with Mr%*Jones. Yes, missis, 402:047,24[E ]| that is what \I\ say ~~ watch him, and you will know." 402:047,25[G ]| "Oh, Mrs%*Jones, he has never paid for them!" 402:047,25[' ]| cried Con. 402:047,25[G ]| "The 402:047,26[G ]| master will kill us." 402:047,27[F ]| "Watch him and you will know," 402:047,27[' ]| murmured the old woman, on 402:047,28[' ]| whom Jerry's words appeared to have made a strange impression. 402:047,29[' ]| She was staring at the door out of which Jerry had just passed, 402:047,30[' ]| with her brows bent together, and a queer, thoughtful look in her 402:047,31[' ]| faded eyes that puzzled the boy. 402:047,32[G ]| "Please, Mrs%*Jones," 402:047,32[' ]| reiterated Con, 402:047,32[G ]| "that Swipes took the 402:047,33[G ]| pipe and baccy without paying for it. What will we do? The 402:047,34[G ]| master will kill us." 402:047,35[F ]| "Watch him and you will know," 402:047,35[' ]| again murmured the completely 402:047,36[' ]| absorbed old woman; 402:047,36[F ]| "and it is true. He \used\ to go somewhere 402:047,37[F ]| at night. I have missed him." 402:047,38[' ]| Fortunately for Con's peace of mind at this moment, there 402:047,39[' ]| entered two legitimate customers, who put a few shillings in the 402:047,40[' ]| till, and distracted Mrs%*Jones' thoughts again. It was painful 402:047,41[' ]| even to the boy to see her pluming herself in the chair, and feeling 402:047,42[' ]| so proud and happy, when it was so certain that at the first sound 402:047,43[' ]| of her master's harsh voice she would drop into the cringing, half-stupid 402:047,44[' ]| slave, who seemed to have no idea beyond the avoidance 402:047,45[' ]| by unselfish service, of the kicks and thumps the brute was in the 402:047,46[' ]| habit of bestowing on her whenever he wanted some object to 402:047,47[' ]| explode his temper on. 402:047,48[' ]| By this time Constable*Lumsden had worked round his beat, and 402:047,49[' ]| was in the vicinity of "Jones'*Corner" again. As he was about to 402:047,50[' ]| pass the door he looked in, and seeing only the boy and the half 402:047,51[' ]| idiotic face of an old woman behind the counter, he changed his 402:047,52[' ]| mind and entered. Mrs%*Jones bridled immediately. The poor 402:047,53[' ]| old creature had a very exaggerated idea of a policeman's importance, 402:047,54[' ]| and, being a woman, was not, perhaps, insensible to the 402:047,55[' ]| young chap's ruddy and healthy-looking face. Con was not so 402:047,56[' ]| sure of Lumsden. He had a town boy's detestation of all bobbies, 402:047,57[' ]| big and little, young and old, and would just as soon have seen a 402:047,58[' ]| big brown snake wandering into the shop as that young man in 402:047,59[' ]| blue. 402:047,60[B ]| "Is Jones at home?" 402:047,60[' ]| asked Lumsden. 402:047,61[G ]| "No, sir, he has gone out on business. This is Mrs%*Jones." 402:047,62[F ]| "Yes," 402:047,62[' ]| she nodded, proudly, as she smoothed down the white 402:047,63[' ]| apron with both trembling hands, 402:047,63[F ]| "I am keeping shop. I would like to 402:047,64[F ]| keep shop every day." 402:047,65[B ]| "Would you?" 402:047,65[' ]| Lumsden asked, with a suspicious look into the 402:047,66[' ]| childish-looking face, for the constable was not quite sure whether 402:047,67[' ]| she was laughing at him or was in reality half-witted. But he was 402:047,68[' ]| soon at his ease, for it was impossible to doubt the want of intellect 402:047,69[' ]| so plainly pictured in the vacant, withered features. 402:047,69[B ]| "I suppose, 402:047,70[B ]| now, you sell everything here?" 402:047,71[F ]| "Yes," 402:047,71[' ]| she answered proudly, 402:047,71[F ]| "everythink." 402:047,72[B ]| "I was just wishing for a glass of something," 402:047,72[' ]| Lumsden said, in 402:047,73[' ]| a low tone, as he glanced towards the quiet street. 402:047,73[B ]| "There is no*one 402:047,74[B ]| about; I will take a glass of spirits, please," 402:047,74[' ]| and he quietly laid 402:047,75[' ]| a shilling on the counter. 402:047,76[G ]| "Oh, we do not keep no drink here, sir," 402:047,76[' ]| quickly returned Con, as 402:047,77[' ]| he pushed back the shilling, for which the unconscious old woman's 402:047,78[' ]| hand was already outstretched. 402:047,79[B ]| "I was not talking to you," 402:047,79[' ]| snapped the constable. 402:047,79[B ]| "Are you 402:047,80[B ]| Jones' son?" 401:048,01[G ]| "No, sir, I am only hired; but I have been with them a good 401:048,02[G ]| while." 401:048,03[B ]| "You are too precious sharp," 401:048,03[' ]| Lumsden said, with a frown 401:048,04[' ]| that he believed sufficient to overcome the sharpest youngster 401:048,05[' ]| in the city. 401:048,05[B ]| "Missis, can not you sell me a glass of something?" 401:048,06[F ]| "The master takes a glass often," 401:048,06[' ]| she mumbled, 401:048,06[F ]| "but he never 401:048,07[F ]| gives me none. I do not know where he keeps his bottle; s'pect 401:048,08[F ]| it is in the front room. Master allays locks the front room when 401:048,09[F ]| he goes out." 401:048,10[B ]| "Hum, give me sixpen'orth of lollies, boy;" 401:048,10[' ]| and the discontented 401:048,11[' ]| constable pushed back the shilling, on which the old woman's 401:048,12[' ]| eyes were fixed greedily. 401:048,13[' ]| Con weighed the lollies, and was graciously presented with some 401:048,14[' ]| of them for his own use. 401:048,15[B ]| "Did you ever see this ghost of a hearse that haunts this neighbourhood?" 401:048,16[' ]| asked Lumsden of the lad, as he decided that the old 401:048,17[' ]| woman was not worth talking to. 401:048,18[G ]| "No, sir \I\ never did, but Mrs%*Jones has seen it. Have not you, 401:048,19[G ]| Mrs%*Jones?" 401:048,20[F ]| "Seen the dead-hearse? I should think so. Ha! there is allays 401:048,21[F ]| someone dies when that comes. I wish it would stop right \there\ 401:048,22[F ]| tonight," 401:048,22[' ]| and she pointed a shaky finger straight out of the shop 401:048,23[' ]| door to the empty street, on which the afternoon sun was shining 401:048,24[' ]| warmly. And then as if the subject brought back to her memory 401:048,25[' ]| Jerry*Swipes' words, she repeated them to herself, with her brows 401:048,26[' ]| again tangled into a thoughtful frown ~~ 401:048,26[F ]| "Jest you watch him, and 401:048,27[F ]| you will see." 401:048,28[B ]| "What is she muttering?" 401:048,29[G ]| "Oh, nothing of any consequence, sir; she is talking to herself 401:048,30[G ]| half the time." 401:048,31[B ]| "Um! a little queer, eh?" 401:048,32[G ]| "A little, sir." 401:048,33[B ]| "Did you never see the old chap sell a glass, now?" 401:048,33[' ]| asked the 401:048,34[' ]| clever, new policeman; and Con's naturally rosy face grew crimson. 401:048,35[' ]| If there is one thing more despised than another by even the 401:048,36[' ]| lowest Melbourne lad it is an "informer." In this case Con had 401:048,37[' ]| nothing to tell, but it insulted him that it should be supposed 401:048,38[' ]| possible that he \would\ tell, even if he knew anything. 401:048,39[' ]| Lumsden saw the boy's increase of colour, and it increased his 401:048,40[' ]| suspicions. 401:048,41[G ]| "No," 401:048,41[' ]| Con answered ~~ without the "sir" this time, you will 401:048,42[' ]| observe ~~ 401:048,42[G ]| "nor I never see no spirits of any kind about, even for 401:048,43[G ]| Mr%*Jones' own drinkin'. If he keeps any it must be, as Mrs%*Jones 401:048,44[G ]| says, in his own room, that is mostly always locked." 401:048,45[' ]| The mention of her name aroused the old woman from an 401:048,46[' ]| unusual absorption in thought, and she repeated over and over 401:048,47[' ]| again ~~ 401:048,48[F ]| "Yes, Con, in his own room; allays in his own room." 401:048,49[' ]| In a very discontented mood Lumsden strolled out to the pavement 401:048,50[' ]| again, munching his lollies as he went; and it so happened 401:048,51[' ]| that Jerry*Swipes at that moment appeared at the corner of the 401:048,52[' ]| lane, and, after a sharp look up and down the empty street, 401:048,53[' ]| beckoned to the policeman. Lumsden was inclined to stand on 401:048,54[' ]| his dignity, and let the drunken-looking fellow come over to him 401:048,55[' ]| if he wanted him; but all at once he remembered that this was 401:048,56[' ]| the man old Jones had been abusing, and thinking of the probability 401:048,57[' ]| of retaliation, he put his dignity in his pocket with the 401:048,58[' ]| lollies, and crossed the narrow street. 401:048,59[E ]| "Just come down here a few steps, constable; I want to 401:048,60[E ]| speak to ye." 401:048,61[' ]| Lumsden followed the speaker a few yards, and then stopped. 401:048,62[' ]| The lane was most uninviting to all senses, and two or three red-faced, 401:048,63[' ]| loud-voiced women were in front of some old wooden 401:048,64[' ]| cottages farther down gossiping, amid the noise of screaming 401:048,65[' ]| babies and quarrelling children. 401:048,66[B ]| "If you have anything private to say, there is no need of going 401:048,67[B ]| any further ~~ there is nothing but a dead wall here." 401:048,68[E ]| "It is the fence of Turner's woodyard," 401:048,68[' ]| returned Jerry, 401:048,68[E ]| "and I 401:048,69[E ]| guess you are right. We can speak low, and, besides, there is no*one 401:048,70[E ]| in the yard ~~ I saw Turner go out five minutes' ago." 401:048,71[B ]| "Well? what is your business?" 401:048,72[E ]| "Are you game now to go halves in an informin' business?" 401:048,73[' ]| asked Jerry, cunningly, in reply to this question. 401:048,74[B ]| "Informin'? is it about old Jones?" 401:048,74[' ]| was the sharp return. 401:048,75[E ]| "The very man." 401:048,76[B ]| "By jove, I suspected it!" 401:048,76[' ]| cried Lumsden, as he stooped and 401:048,77[' ]| slapped his leg in thorough enjoyment. 401:048,77[B ]| "Game? I should think 401:048,78[B ]| so!" 401:048,78[' ]| And then a sharp suspicion crossed his mind, and made 401:048,79[' ]| Lumsden look steadily into the bloated face with the sharp nose. 401:048,80[B ]| "If you are on the look-out for a reward, how is it you do not try 401:048,81[B ]| to keep it all to yourself?" 401:048,81[' ]| he asked. 402:048,01[E ]| "Do you think I would ever get it if I had not someone decent to back 402:048,02[E ]| me up?" 402:048,02[' ]| Jerry asked, cunningly. 402:048,02[E ]| "I could not take him in it 402:048,03[E ]| single-handed ~~ I would want help; and if I was the respectablest man 402:048,04[E ]| in Melbourne there would not be a conviction without the worm." 402:048,05[B ]| "Without the worm? What do you mean? What are you 402:048,06[B ]| talking about?" 402:048,07[E ]| "I am talking about a \still\ ~~ did not you know it afore?" 402:048,08[' ]| The low whistle that gave expression to Lumsden's surprise was 402:048,09[' ]| so prolonged that Jerry cut it short with a 402:048,09[E ]| "Hush." 402:048,10[B ]| "I thought it was sly grog-selling!" 402:048,10[' ]| he exclaimed. 402:048,10[B ]| "I noticed 402:048,11[B ]| the effect your mention of the glass of whiskey had on Jones a 402:048,12[B ]| while ago, and I thought it was sly grog-selling. But a still! By 402:048,13[B ]| Jove! are you sure, man?" 402:048,14[E ]| "As sure as that there fence is made of palin," 402:048,14[' ]| was the answer, 402:048,15[' ]| as Swipes put his hand on Turner's fence; 402:048,15[E ]| "and now just wait a 402:048,16[E ]| minnit till I see if Turner's back." 402:048,17[' ]| He stepped on a stone as he was speaking, and craned his long 402:048,18[' ]| neck in an examination of the wood-yard. 402:048,19[E ]| "No, he is not at home yet, for the back door is shut and the 402:048,20[E ]| barrow is not there. Come now, let us settle about it. It must be 402:048,21[E ]| done to-night, for I gave him a good many hints to-day, and he 402:048,22[E ]| may be frightened." 402:048,23[B ]| "He has gone out?" 402:048,23[' ]| said Lumsden. 402:048,24[E ]| "Yes, and I am afraid he has gone to try and get rid of the plant 402:048,25[E ]| somehow, for he must have customers for the spirits somewhere, 402:048,26[E ]| and they are bound to help him. The best thing that you and me 402:048,27[E ]| can do is to go up to the sergeant at once, and lay our claim to the 402:048,28[E ]| reward." 402:048,29[' ]| There was a little more talk about it, and when it was over they 402:048,30[' ]| separated, so as to avoid suspicion; appointing, however, a time 402:048,31[' ]| when they were to meet at the police office in the presence of the 402:048,32[' ]| sergeant. 402:048,33[' ]| Old Jones came home very shortly after, in one of his worst 402:048,34[' ]| humours. At the first glimpse of his face in the doorway all the 402:048,35[' ]| brightness fell from that of the poor old wife, who hobbled humbly 402:048,36[' ]| to the back, leaving Con to face "the master;" and Con did so 402:048,37[' ]| with more confidence than usual, for there was some money in the 402:048,38[' ]| till, and he had some news to tell Jones that might make him 402:048,39[' ]| think less of Jerry having outwitted him in the matter of the pipe 402:048,40[' ]| and tobacco. 402:048,41[D ]| "Well! Everything at sixes and sevens, I suppose?" 402:048,41[' ]| Jones 402:048,42[' ]| asked, with a furious look around the shop. The man \wanted\ 402:048,43[' ]| something to swear at, for his blood was boiling within him. 402:048,44[G ]| "No, sir. Everything is all right in the shop; only" ~~ 402:048,44[' ]| the boy 402:048,45[' ]| hastened to add, ere Jones had time to explode ~~ 402:048,45[G ]| "that ere young 402:048,46[G ]| bobby has been here, sir." 402:048,47[D ]| "Again! What the deuce did he want?" 402:048,48[G ]| "I am afraid he was after no good, master," 402:048,48[' ]| replied Con, as he 402:048,49[' ]| shook his head sagely. 402:048,49[G ]| "He tried to get a glass of spirits out 402:048,50[G ]| of the mistress and me; actually put the money on the counter 402:048,51[G ]| for it." 402:048,52[D ]| "What!" 402:048,53[G ]| "Yes, indeed, sir. He gammoned that he knew drink was sold 402:048,54[G ]| here, but when he could get nothing out of us he bought sixpen'orth 402:048,55[G ]| of lollies and went away." 402:048,56[' ]| Jones absolutely turned grey with apprehension as he stared at 402:048,57[' ]| the boy. 402:048,58[D ]| "You are sure you did not tell the villain anything?" 402:048,59[G ]| "I had nothing to tell him, sir." 402:048,60[D ]| "That is true, Con ~~ of course, you had nothing to tell him. 402:048,61[D ]| You may go out and finish them bottles now." 402:048,62[' ]| Jones fell into his old arm-chair behind the counter dumbfounded. 402:048,63[' ]| He felt that he was caught in a trap and did not know where to 402:048,64[' ]| seek help. He had taken off his best hat, and held the old, greasy 402:048,65[' ]| one in his hands, looking at it in a queer, bewildered way, when a 402:048,66[' ]| man entered with an active step. It was Turner, the small, sharp, 402:048,67[' ]| dark man that kept the wood-yard. 402:048,68[C ]| "How many hundred of wood will I bring you over, Jones?" 402:048,69[' ]| he asked, as he bent over toward the old man with a strange grin 402:048,70[' ]| on his face. 402:048,71[D ]| "Not one!" 402:048,71[' ]| shouted old Jones, as the blood rushed into his 402:048,72[' ]| face, and his eyes flashed under their overhanging brows. He 402:048,73[' ]| had got someone to vent his rage on at last ~~ 402:048,73[D ]| "Not one; and I will 402:048,74[D ]| never take another from you ~~ you swindling rascal. The last was 402:048,75[D ]| green measmate." 402:048,76[C ]| "Hush, hush, Jones! you have no idea what a mess you are in. 402:048,77[C ]| I have come to give you a bit of neighbourly help, for both Jerry*Swipes 402:048,78[C ]| and the new bobby will be down on you in a brace of 402:048,79[C ]| shakes." 402:048,80[D ]| "Jerry*Swipes! the new bobby! oh, curse them." 401:049,01[' ]| But, even as the words fell from his lips, they trembled, and he 401:049,02[' ]| put on his old hat in a hopeless way very unusual with him. 401:049,03[C ]| "Yes, and there is no time to waste. Jerry has been watching 401:049,04[C ]| you by nights, it seems, and he has found out all about the still. 401:049,05[C ]| He has told Lumsden, and they have gone up to the sergeant and 401:049,06[C ]| agreeing to share the reward for informing between them." 401:049,07[D ]| "Oh, Lord, what will I do?" 401:049,07[' ]| groaned the old man. 401:049,08[C ]| "That is what I am come to tell you. I have the horse ready in 401:049,09[C ]| the cart and the wood in it. I am going to bring it into the yard, 401:049,10[C ]| and you will pack all your whisky into it, as well as the whole still, 401:049,11[C ]| if we can manage it, and I will drive them off before the informers 401:049,12[C ]| come." 401:049,13[D ]| "Where will take them?" 401:049,13[' ]| Jones asked, doubtfully. 401:049,14[C ]| "Where they will be safe. Never you mind so long as they do not 401:049,15[C ]| get them \here\." 401:049,16[D ]| "But what are you doin' it for? I never was friends with you, 401:049,17[D ]| Bill*Turner. What are you so willin' to do this for?" 401:049,18[C ]| "No! you old screw, you never \was\ friends with me! I do not 401:049,19[C ]| owe you so much as a thank you for one neighbourly act! What 401:049,20[C ]| am I a-doin' of it for? What a darned fool you are to ask! I am 401:049,21[C ]| a-doing it for what I can make out of it, of course! Do you 401:049,22[C ]| think I am a fool to do it for nothing? I will save you a fifty-pound 401:049,23[C ]| fine and the loss of your stock, never fear; but I will ask for my pay 401:049,24[C ]| when the job is done!" 401:049,25[' ]| Strange to say this assertion, though it touched the weakest part 401:049,26[' ]| of old Jones (the region of his pocket) convinced him of Turner's 401:049,27[' ]| sincerity, and before many minutes had elapsed the woodman's 401:049,28[' ]| cart was in the old storekeeper's yard. Jones sent Con and Mrs%*Jones 401:049,29[' ]| into the shop while a new load was packed into the bottom 401:049,30[' ]| of the conveyance and covered with a layer of wood that made all, 401:049,31[' ]| as Turner declared 401:049,31[C ]| "look quite natural." 401:049,32[' ]| Few could have guessed in what a state of excitement old Jones 401:049,33[' ]| had lately been, had they looked into the shop after Turner's 401:049,34[' ]| departure and seen him, spectacles on nose, apparently absorbed 401:049,35[' ]| in the paper; at least, Jerry*Swipes did not guess it when he 401:049,36[' ]| entered with a wicked grin on his dirty visage, and with Constable*Lumsden 401:049,37[' ]| at his heels. 401:049,38[E ]| "I hope I do not intrude, Mister*Jones," 401:049,38[' ]| sneered Jerry, who had 401:049,39[' ]| evidently managed an extra glass somewhere. 401:049,39[E ]| "Allow me to 401:049,40[E ]| introduce me friend, Constable*Lumsden." 401:049,41[B ]| "Stash that!" 401:049,41[' ]| cried Lumsden angrily, as he pushed Jerry out 401:049,42[' ]| of his way very unceremoniously, and advanced to the counter. 401:049,43[B ]| "I am here on duty, Jones. We have received information that 401:049,44[B ]| you are carrying on a sort of private distillery here in contravention 401:049,45[B ]| to the laws, and we are here to search the premises." 401:049,46[D ]| "Search, and be hanged to you!" 401:049,46[' ]| was the very unexpected 401:049,47[' ]| reply; 401:049,47[D ]| "but by the heavens above me if that drunken thief comes 401:049,48[D ]| inside my private premises I will brain him ~~ so help me!" 401:049,49[E ]| "Will you?" 401:049,49[' ]| retorted the pot-valiant Swipes. 401:049,49[E ]| "Maybe two 401:049,50[E ]| could play at that game; though if it comes to brains it is very 401:049,51[E ]| little you would have to let out. Stand back, Lumsden, and let me 401:049,52[E ]| blacken that old villain's eyes." 401:049,53[B ]| "If you do not keep quiet, Swipes, I will put you out myself," 401:049,53[' ]| was 401:049,54[' ]| all the comfort the angry man got from his unwilling companion, 401:049,55[' ]| who went on to Jones ~~ 401:049,56[B ]| "You may as well let us in peacefully, Jones. There is two 401:049,57[B ]| constables in the back yard by this time, and there is no earthly 401:049,58[B ]| use offering any resistance." 401:049,59[D ]| "I am offering no resistance; did not I tell you to search? There is 401:049,60[D ]| the door open; but I say again if that informer crosses that threshould 401:049,61[D ]| I will fell him." 401:049,62[E ]| "Oh! I am an informer, eh? Do you hear that, Lumsden? By 401:049,63[E ]| George, the old fool is giving himself away. It seems there is 401:049,64[E ]| something to inform on, eh?" 401:049,65[B ]| "Hold your jaw, Swipes. You had better go round to the back; 401:049,66[B ]| there is no use having any unnecessary row." 401:049,66[' ]| And the young 401:049,67[' ]| policeman went behind the counter to the door that old Jones was 401:049,68[' ]| still holding open with shaking hands. 401:049,69[' ]| Jerry, finding himself in a minority, did as Lumsden had 401:049,70[' ]| suggested, and went round to the yard, cursing Jones all the way. 401:049,71[' ]| Jones immediately shut the shop door and barred it behind him, 401:049,72[' ]| going out then after the young policeman to see what disturbance 401:049,73[' ]| they would make among his household gods. 401:049,74[' ]| That part of the household gods represented by poor Mrs%*Jones 401:049,75[' ]| was in such a state of bewildered surprise at the advent of two 401:049,76[' ]| strange men in blue entering her slovenly kitchen that the 401:049,77[' ]| entrance of another from the shop-way added nothing to her 401:049,78[' ]| confusion. Lumsden, as befitting the fact that he was co-informer, 401:049,79[' ]| took the lead in what followed, his first action being to proceed 401:049,80[' ]| towards Jones' own bedroom,, and order it to be opened. 401:049,81[B ]| "My information is that the door of a cellar opens in a closet of 402:049,01[B ]| this room," 402:049,01[' ]| he said, importantly, 402:049,01[B ]| "and that in that cellar is the 402:049,02[B ]| still." 402:049,03[' ]| Without a word Jones unlocked the door and flung it open. At 402:049,04[' ]| this moment Jerry*Swipes, fortified by the presence of so many 402:049,05[' ]| policemen, advanced to push his way into Jones' room, and without 402:049,06[' ]| another word of warning the old man, who had been a pugilist 402:049,07[' ]| in his young days, lifted his fist and struck Swipes so heavily 402:049,08[' ]| between the eyes that the half-drunk man fell to the floor almost 402:049,09[' ]| as if he had been shot. 402:049,10[D ]| "I had a right to do it," 402:049,10[' ]| cried Jones; 402:049,10[D ]| "I warned him. I put 402:049,11[D ]| no hindrance in the way of the police, but that man I will not let 402:049,12[D ]| cross my threshold. Clear out of this, or I will let you have it 402:049,13[D ]| double." 402:049,14[' ]| Jerry, who was picking himself up with difficulty, turned to go, 402:049,15[' ]| but as he did he uttered a threat that was remembered against him 402:049,16[' ]| afterwards. 402:049,17[E ]| "Do you see them?" 402:049,17[' ]| he asked, pointing to the drops of blood 402:049,18[' ]| on the floor; 402:049,18[E ]| "you drew them from my face, but by heaven I will let 402:049,19[E ]| every drop out of your heart for them!" 402:049,19[' ]| and he staggered blindly 402:049,20[' ]| out to the yard. 402:049,21[' ]| It is unnecessary to enter into particulars of the unsuccessful 402:049,22[' ]| search made by the constables of Jones' cellar and premises 402:049,23[' ]| generally ~~ there was nothing whatever criminating discovered. 402:049,24[' ]| The unsuspected load Turner had taken had removed everything 402:049,25[' ]| immediately connected with the still, save some empty hop-pockets 402:049,26[' ]| and sugar bags, and a suspiciously smelling keg. Jones enjoyed 402:049,27[' ]| the discomfiture of Lumsden, as indeed did his fellow constables, 402:049,28[' ]| who were, like all the world, jealous of a neighbour's good 402:049,29[' ]| fortune. 402:049,30[D ]| "I am sorry for your disappointment, gentlemen," 402:049,30[' ]| said Jones, 402:049,31[' ]| with a derisive grin; 402:049,31[D ]| "but you see it is not always well to depend 402:049,32[D ]| on information received from a low scoundrel. Howsomever, as 402:049,33[D ]| I am sorry to see Mr%*Lumsden look so down in the mouth, I do not 402:049,34[D ]| mind giving him a glass of very good whiskey I happen to have 402:049,35[D ]| here by me." 402:049,36[B ]| "Hang you, and your whiskey too!" 402:049,36[' ]| was the young man's not 402:049,37[' ]| over civil reply to this kind offer, and in a few moments the police, 402:049,38[' ]| accompanied by the terribly disappointed Jerry, had all cleared 402:049,39[' ]| out by the back way. To say that Jerry was disappointed is 402:049,40[' ]| putting it very weakly ~~ he evinced his feelings in such threats at 402:049,41[' ]| Jones, and indeed, at the police, who had, he fancied, cheated him 402:049,42[' ]| in some way or another, that Lumsden was within an ace of 402:049,43[' ]| marching him off to the lockup. 402:049,44[' ]| Lumsden was quite as much disappointed as the informer, 402:049,45[' ]| though he was able to control his feelings a little better. So convinced 402:049,46[' ]| was he that Jones had been warned and cleared his cellar 402:049,47[' ]| out, that he determined on doing duty on his own account that 402:049,48[' ]| night. That is, instead of going to bed or to amuse himself after 402:049,49[' ]| his patrol was over, after dinner he returned to his beat to watch 402:049,50[' ]| "Jones'*Corner." 402:049,51[' ]| He did not get to his beat till about eleven o'clock, believing 402:049,52[' ]| that whatever illegal thing might be done on the old man's 402:049,53[' ]| premises would not be attempted before that hour. He had 402:049,54[' ]| acquainted the constable on duty of his intention, so that his 402:049,55[' ]| movements should be taken no notice of, and he chose as his 402:049,56[' ]| place of watch the entrance to a narrow right-of-way opposite old 402:049,57[' ]| Jones' back yard. 402:049,58[' ]| When he took up his post there was a light in the shop, though 402:049,59[' ]| it was shut, but all was darkness at the back. Jones was not the 402:049,60[' ]| man to let his wife and Con sit up burning candles for nothing. 402:049,61[' ]| After about half an hour's watch Lumsden saw the light disappear 402:049,62[' ]| from the shop, and in a few minutes a man crossed the yard 402:049,63[' ]| stealthily, opened Jones' gate noiselessly, and slipped round the 402:049,64[' ]| corner of the street where the door of the shop was. Lumsden 402:049,65[' ]| was curious, and followed him to the corner. There he saw a 402:049,66[' ]| small, lithe figure dart across the moonlit street and enter 402:049,67[' ]| Turner's wood-yard. Lumsden went back to his station, wondering 402:049,68[' ]| what Turner was doing there at that time of night; and just 402:049,69[' ]| then the town clock was just striking twelve. 402:049,70[' ]| It was quite another hour before he saw anything else at Jones'. 402:049,71[' ]| Then a slinking figure crept along in the shadow of the houses, 402:049,72[' ]| and deftly climbing Jones' high fence, dropped inside. The 402:049,73[' ]| young constable recognised Jerry*Swipes instantly, and guessed at 402:049,74[' ]| once that the low scoundrel was on the same self-imposed duty as 402:049,75[' ]| himself, viz%, watching old Jones, with the hope of making some 402:049,76[' ]| discovery of a fresh plant. It was about half an hour before Jerry 402:049,77[' ]| left the yard, and it was chiming the half-hour after one as 402:049,78[' ]| he dropped out into the street again, and ran down the lane. 402:049,79[' ]| Another half hour, and Lumsden saw a light appear for a 402:049,80[' ]| moment in the kitchen window. The light was very indistinct 401:050,01[' ]| for the window was under the back verandah, where Mrs%*Jones did 401:050,02[' ]| her poor washing; but it was distinct enough for Mr%*Lumsden to 401:050,03[' ]| see it twice ~~ once when it seemed to come and go away again, and 401:050,04[' ]| once more when it reappeared, and seemed to be suddenly put out. 401:050,05[' ]| Believing that Jones was rambling about the place making a 401:050,06[' ]| bestowal of some illegal machinery, Lumsden was about to climb 401:050,07[' ]| the fence for a nearer watch when he saw something that changed 401:050,08[' ]| his mind with a strange suddenness. The young man had heard 401:050,09[' ]| no noise, but he felt, as it were, that there was something moving 401:050,10[' ]| in his vicinity. Turning involuntarily, he saw, coming down the 401:050,11[' ]| street, full in the moonlight, what seemed to be the shadow of a 401:050,12[' ]| hearse. A sort of fear crept upon him for a moment, but he 401:050,13[' ]| recovered himself speedily, remembering his jibes at the "dead*hearse" 401:050,14[' ]| that very day, and his determination to prove its mortal 401:050,15[' ]| and tangible nature. 401:050,16[' ]| The thing passed him ~~ the shadow of a hearse ~~ and turned 401:050,17[' ]| "Jones'*Corner" noiselessly. It appeared to Lumsden's eyes just 401:050,18[' ]| shaped like a sarcophagus. The shape of a black horse drew it, 401:050,19[' ]| and the shape of a man in black, with long black crape weepers 401:050,20[' ]| hanging down from his hat behind, sat in front, and held the 401:050,21[' ]| shadowy reins. There is not one among the very wisest of us 401:050,22[' ]| without some hidden superstition, however we may to try to 401:050,23[' ]| deceive ourselves about the fact; and young Lumsden felt a queer, 401:050,24[' ]| cold creeping up his back in spite of his declared unbelief in the 401:050,25[' ]| "Phanton*Hearse." 401:050,26[' ]| No sooner had it turned the corner, and was out of sight, however, 401:050,27[' ]| but he pulled himself together and hurried after it, determined 401:050,28[' ]| to see the affair through. He had not far to go. I have 401:050,29[' ]| said the thing turned the corner. It had barely done so; when 401:050,30[' ]| Lumsden reached the front of the shop he saw the hearse standing 401:050,31[' ]| in front of the window he knew belonged to Jones' bedroom, the 401:050,32[' ]| vehicle and horse still and soundless, the man sitting on his box 401:050,33[' ]| as if carved out of black marble. 401:050,34[' ]| One moment the young man hesitated, for he was only mortal, 401:050,35[' ]| but then he strode on toward the hearse, his steps making a loud 401:050,36[' ]| noise on the moonlit pavement. His heart was beating quickly, 401:050,37[' ]| but he did not stop until he was so near that by putting out his 401:050,38[' ]| hand he should have been able to touch the hearse. He \put\ it 401:050,39[' ]| out, and touched nothing! He moved a little nearer, and tried 401:050,40[' ]| again. Still there was nothing tangible, but he heard a terrible 401:050,41[' ]| moan that seemed to come from the interior of the ghostly vehicle, 401:050,42[' ]| and started back. When he looked again the whole thing had 401:050,43[' ]| disappeared. There was nothing in the whole length of the street, 401:050,44[' ]| but the moonlight lying upon pavement and roadway! 401:050,45[' ]| Constable*Lumsden stared for some minutes, and then being, as I 401:050,46[' ]| have already said, only mortal he turned quickly, and sought the 401:050,47[' ]| companionship of his fellow policeman, whose step he fortunately 401:050,48[' ]| heard at that moment echoing down a neighbouring cross-street. 401:050,49[' ]| The constable on the beat that night was an elderly man, and he 401:050,50[' ]| did not laugh at Lumsden's story. 401:050,51[J ]| "I have heard of it often," 401:050,51[' ]| he said, thoughtfully, 401:050,51[J ]| "but I never 401:050,52[J ]| saw it, and I do not want to. They say it is a sure sign of death in 401:050,53[J ]| the house where it stops. It was at Jones', you say?" 401:050,54[B ]| "Yes, but was it there at all? I wonder if I could fancy it 401:050,55[B ]| all?" 401:050,56[J ]| "You ought to be the best judge of that yourself; but that 401:050,57[J ]| the hearse \has\ been seen there is no manner of doubt. I have been 401:050,58[J ]| on this beat over eight years, and I have heard of the hearse a dozen 401:050,59[J ]| times and more." 401:050,60[B ]| "Well, whether or not I imagined the hearse, I am certain the 401:050,61[B ]| sound was real." 401:050,62[J ]| "What sound?" 401:050,63[B ]| "Why, the awful groan I heard. It made my blood creep." 401:050,64[J ]| "You had better go and get a sleep," 401:050,64[' ]| said Cooney, 401:050,64[J ]| "or you will not 401:050,65[J ]| be fit for duty to-morrow." 401:050,66[' ]| And the young man took his advice, the sight of the "Phantom*Hearse" 401:050,67[' ]| having cured him of all the interest he had lately felt in 401:050,68[' ]| "still-hunting." 401:050,69[' ]| Lumsden lodged with Cooney, who was a married man with a 401:050,70[' ]| family, and it seemed to the young man that he had not been 401:050,71[' ]| asleep ten minutes when he was wakened by a rough shake. 401:050,72[' ]| Cooney was standing by the side of his bed with something in his 401:050,73[' ]| rugged face that roused Lumsden at once. 401:050,74[B ]| "What is it?" 401:050,74[' ]| he asked. 401:050,75[J ]| "It is murder, that is what it is. Get up at once, and be puttin' 401:050,76[J ]| on your clothes while I tell you. You will get no chance of pocketing 401:050,77[J ]| that fifty pounds now. Old Jones was found dead in his bed this 401:050,78[J ]| morning." 401:050,79[B ]| "Good heavens! Who found him?" 401:050,80[J ]| "That little chap, Con, who lives there. It seems he had to 402:050,01[J ]| call Jones every morning before he opened the shop at seven 402:050,02[J ]| o'clock, and this morning, when he went he found the old man 402:050,03[J ]| so sound asleep that nothing but the last trump will waken him. 402:050,04[J ]| The boy ran to tell me, and before Smith relieved me the whole 402:050,05[J ]| neighbourhood was in a commotion." 402:050,06[B ]| "What time is it now?" 402:050,07[J ]| "Near nine. Hurry out and get your breakfast. Did not you 402:050,08[J ]| tell me you saw Jerry*Swipes climbing over Jones' fence last 402:050,09[J ]| night?" 402:050,10[B ]| "Yes." 402:050,11[' ]| And then a sudden recollection of the terrible threat Jerry had 402:050,12[' ]| made against the old man after he was struck down recurred to 402:050,13[' ]| Lumsden. 402:050,14[B ]| "How was he murdered?" 402:050,15[J ]| "Stabbed in the breast, or rather stomach, by some sharp 402:050,16[J ]| instrument. He appears to have been lying on his back asleep, 402:050,17[J ]| from what the doctor says, and was found in a pool of his own 402:050,18[J ]| blood. By Jove, Jerry seems to have kept his word. He swore 402:050,19[J ]| he would let every drop out of the old man's heart, and it looks as 402:050,20[J ]| if he had done it." 402:050,21[B ]| "You think it was Jerry?" 402:050,22[J ]| "Can there be a doubt of it after what you saw? At all events, 402:050,23[J ]| I went straight to his tumble-down shanty and arrested him on 402:050,24[J ]| suspicion." 402:050,25[B ]| "How did he take it?" 402:050,26[J ]| "Like a man stupid ~~ as, indeed, he was with the effect of his 402:050,27[J ]| yesterday's drink. There was blood on his clothes, too; but he 402:050,28[J ]| denies the murder, of course." 402:050,29[B ]| "Does he deny he was in Jones' yard this morning?" 402:050,30[J ]| "No; he owns to it. He says he went in hopes of finding the 402:050,31[J ]| old man in the cellar. It seems there is some crack in the wall he 402:050,32[J ]| can see through. Come now; if you have done breakfast we will be off 402:050,33[J ]| down and see what we can find out. You can question the boy 402:050,34[J ]| this time." 402:050,35[' ]| We can understand the deep interest of Lumsden in this case. 402:050,36[' ]| It was his first in the force, and the matter of the suspected illicit 402:050,37[' ]| work in Jones' place, together with his own intimate connection 402:050,38[' ]| with it as co-informer, made the whole affair of importance to him. 402:050,39[' ]| And there was what he had seen last night, too ~~ that solemn 402:050,40[' ]| hearse that had stood for a few moments at the dead man's house. 402:050,41[' ]| He could never again disbelieve in apparitions as long as he lived. 402:050,42[' ]| Talking the case over, the two men walked quickly to "Jones'*Corner." 402:050,43[' ]| The shop was shut, except that one shutter had been 402:050,44[' ]| taken off to light it, and there, in pitiful state, sat Mrs%*Jones, with 402:050,45[' ]| her one decent dress ~~ a black stuff ~~ on, and a white apron she had 402:050,46[' ]| actually that morning washed and ironed spread under her folded 402:050,47[' ]| hands. Her withered old face was deathly as ashes, her cap 402:050,48[' ]| borders scarcely seeming more blanched in colour. Looking at 402:050,49[' ]| her for a moment, as she stared straight before her into the dim 402:050,50[' ]| shop, among the confusion of boxes and bags, it seemed to 402:050,51[' ]| Lumsden as if her little share of sense had been stricken out by 402:050,52[' ]| the shock, to leave her but one remove from an idiot. 402:050,53[' ]| It was not so with poor Con. He had wept until his eyes were 402:050,54[' ]| like boiled gooseberries, and there was a look of terror in them as 402:050,55[' ]| they seemed to wander against his will to that awful closed door. 402:050,56[' ]| He was sitting in the yard, on a box, when Lumsden appeared, 402:050,57[' ]| and welcomed the young man, though he \was\ a policeman. 402:050,58[B ]| "Tell me all about it," 402:050,58[' ]| Lumsden said, as he leaned against the 402:050,59[' ]| fence by the boy. 402:050,59[B ]| "It was you found him this morning, was not 402:050,60[B ]| it?" 402:050,61[G ]| "Oh! yes, sir. I have not got over it yet. I will \never\ get over it." 402:050,62[B ]| "Oh! you will; never fear of that. When did you see Jones 402:050,63[B ]| last ~~ I mean alive?" 402:050,64[G ]| "I did not see him after I went to bed about nine, sir, but I heard 402:050,65[G ]| him, off and on, for a long time. Someone had taken the key out 402:050,66[G ]| of his bedroom door; he blamed the police for it, I think. At all 402:050,67[G ]| events he could not find it, and went on awful. I fell asleep after a 402:050,68[G ]| while, and then when I wakened up I heard him saying, 402:050,68@d | ""Good 402:050,69@d | night, Turner,"" 402:050,69[G ]| and someone came out the back door." 402:050,70[B ]| "Where do you sleep, Con?" 402:050,71[G ]| "In that little skillion room at this end of the verandah; Mrs%*Jones 402:050,72[G ]| sleeps in the other one, only hers opens into the kitchen and 402:050,73[G ]| my room does not." 402:050,74[' ]| Lumsden considered a moment. If Con had heard Turner so 402:050,75[' ]| plainly, how was it he had not heard Jerry*Swipes so shortly 402:050,76[' ]| after? And there was that light he had twice seen in the kitchen 402:050,77[' ]| ~~ who had carried that? 402:050,78[B ]| "You heard nothing after that, Con?" 402:050,79[G ]| "Nothing, sir; I fell asleep again, and never wakened till 402:050,80[G ]| mornin' when Mrs%*Jones called me." 402:050,81[B ]| "Oh, \she\ called you, did she?" 401:051,01[G ]| "She always calls me; Mrs%*Jones is up by daylight, but the 401:051,02[G ]| master would not let her call him ~~ I had to do it about seven. I 401:051,03[G ]| always knocked and he was easy wakened, but this morning I 401:051,04[G ]| knocked and knocked, and got no answer. Then I remembered 401:051,05[G ]| about the key being lost, and I opened the door quietly and called 401:051,06[G ]| again. I could see the bed then, and guessed something was 401:051,07[G ]| wrong, and I went a little nearer ~~ oh ~~ " 401:051,07[' ]| and Con covered his 401:051,08[' ]| face with a shudder. 401:051,09[B ]| "What did the old woman do when you told her?" 401:051,10[G ]| "She only looked stupid, and stared at me, and then when she 401:051,11[G ]| appeared to understand, she said ~~ 401:051,11@f | ""Yes; that she would put 401:051,12@f | on her apron and mind the shop;"" 401:051,12[G ]| and there she has sat ever 401:051,13[G ]| since." 401:051,14[B ]| "Con, there was someone moving about the place with a light 401:051,15[B ]| at two o'clock this morning ~~ I saw it in the kitchen window 401:051,16[B ]| myself. Do you think it could have been Jones?" 401:051,17[G ]| "More likely Mrs%*Jones, sir; she is often awandering about the 401:051,18[G ]| kitchen at night, and she seemed very unsettled when I went to 401:051,19[G ]| bed last night." 401:051,20[' ]| Having got all the information he could out of the lad, Lumsden 401:051,21[' ]| went in to see the terrible object in the guarded and darkened 401:051,22[' ]| room, and then to visit the poor old woman, who sat in state, 401:051,23[' ]| "minding the shop," while her murdered husband lay within a 401:051,24[' ]| few yards of her. If the young policeman had any hopes of 401:051,25[' ]| getting information out of her respecting the light he had seen in 401:051,26[' ]| the kitchen he lost them ere he had been speaking to her five 401:051,27[' ]| minutes. 401:051,28[B ]| "This is a sad business for you, Mrs%*Jones," 401:051,28[' ]| said the young 401:051,29[' ]| man in a low, sympathetic tone. 401:051,29[B ]| "Have you no neighbour that 401:051,30[B ]| would come and sit with you?" 401:051,31[F ]| "He would never let me have no neighbours," 401:051,31[' ]| she answered, 401:051,32[' ]| woodenly, as if a machine were speaking. 401:051,32[F ]| "I am minding the 401:051,33[F ]| shop. Why does not Con come in? I want Con." 401:051,34[B ]| "I will make him come in presently. Mrs%*Jones, was it you that 401:051,35[B ]| had a light in the kitchen at two o'clock this morning?" 401:051,36[' ]| The sudden way she turned her fishy eyes on him set the young 401:051,37[' ]| man wondering, and her unexpected reply startled him. 401:051,38[F ]| "There was no lights, only dead-lights, and the Dead*Hearse 401:051,39[F ]| was there. I heard them say it. It was all quite true. Watch him, 401:051,40[F ]| and you will find out." 401:051,41[' ]| Lumsden remembered that she had used those very words when 401:051,42[' ]| he was in the shop yesterday, but he did not know that it was 401:051,43[' ]| Jerry who had originally said them, and that they had made a 401:051,44[' ]| terrible impression on the poor, ill-treated old creature. 401:051,45[B ]| "Do you think that you will keep on the shop now that the old 401:051,46[B ]| man is gone?" 401:051,46[' ]| the young constable asked, out of curiosity as to her 401:051,47[' ]| reply, and finding nothing better to say. 401:051,48[F ]| "Yes. I will allays mind the shop now ~~ allays ~~ me and Con, 401:051,49[F ]| with a clean cap and a white apron; and no*one will beat me and 401:051,50[F ]| knock me about." 401:051,51[' ]| The old woman's eyes now glowed with an almost fierce 401:051,52[' ]| pleasure; she drew up her head, and wagged it at Lumsden in 401:051,53[' ]| an alarming manner as she spoke. He drew back, scarcely knowing 401:051,54[' ]| whether to be shocked at her apparent insensibility or not, 401:051,55[' ]| when Cooney appeared behind him in the doorway. 401:051,56[J ]| "I wish we could find that key, Lumsden," 401:051,56[' ]| he said, not 401:051,57[' ]| observing the old woman; 401:051,57[J ]| "it is very awkward not to be able to 401:051,58[J ]| lock the body in." 401:051,59[F ]| "I have got no key," 401:051,59[' ]| almost shrieked Mrs%*Jones, as she stood up 401:051,60[' ]| and faced the speaker; 401:051,60[F ]| "why do not you take him away? Tell the 401:051,61[F ]| Dead*Hearse to come and take him away, quick?" 401:051,61[' ]| and she 401:051,62[' ]| almost fell into the old chair again, trembling and shaking all 401:051,63[' ]| over. 401:051,64[B ]| "She is not even half-witted," 401:051,64[' ]| Lumsden said. 401:051,64[B ]| "What on earth 401:051,65[B ]| will become of her? Do you think the old man was any way 401:051,66[B ]| well in?" 401:051,67[J ]| "I do not know," 401:051,67[' ]| replied Cooney, who was closely observing the 401:051,68[' ]| old creature, who sat shaking in her chair. All at once she got up, 401:051,69[' ]| and, muttering some indistinct words, tottered away into the 401:051,70[' ]| kitchen, and from it to her own room, and they heard her locking 401:051,71[' ]| the door behind her. 401:051,72[B ]| "Have you heard anything fresh?" 401:051,72[' ]| inquired Lumsden of Cooney, 401:051,73[' ]| who was staring after Mrs%*Jones in an odd way. 401:051,74[J ]| "I have been talking to the doctor. He says that when he was 401:051,75[J ]| called here this morning Jones had been dead five or six hours. 401:051,76[J ]| Do you remember what you said last night about that groan you 401:051,77[J ]| heard, Lumsden? You said \it\ was real, at any rate, and so it 401:051,78[J ]| was. It was about that time, or a little before, that he got his 401:051,79[J ]| death stab. And you know the weapon has not been found, 401:051,80[J ]| Lumsden. Whoever had that light you saw last night knows 401:051,81[J ]| something of the murder." 402:051,01[B ]| "You have changed your mind about its being Jerry, then?" 402:051,02[J ]| "I do not know; he might have come back again ~~ went for a 402:051,03[J ]| knife, perhaps. But several of his neighbours are ready to swear 402:051,04[J ]| that the blood on his clothes was on it yesterday ~~ he sells rabbits 402:051,05[J ]| sometimes, it appears. And another thing ~~ the doctor says the 402:051,06[J ]| weapon must have been an unusual one ~~ long and narrow, and 402:051,07[J ]| sharp at the sides ~~ such a wound as is in his breast could not be 402:051,08[J ]| made by even an ordinary carving knife. I am going to make a 402:051,09[J ]| very thorough search of the premises. Con." 402:051,10[G ]| "Yes, sir." 402:051,11[' ]| The two constables had been passing through the kitchen while 402:051,12[' ]| Cooney was speaking, and when Con was called they were standing 402:051,13[' ]| under the verandah between the two skillion rooms. 402:051,14[J ]| "Con?" 402:051,14[' ]| questioned Cooney, 402:051,14[J ]| "the old man has been killed with 402:051,15[J ]| a long, narrow kind of knife, the doctor says; do you know of 402:051,16[J ]| anything about the house answering that description?" 402:051,17[G ]| "A long, narrow knife?" 402:051,17[' ]| repeated the boy, thoughtfully; 402:051,18[G ]| "master used to have an old thing like that ~~ I think he used it in 402:051,19[G ]| the cellar. I saw him sharpening it on the grindstone yesterday 402:051,20[G ]| morning ~~ it was rusty, and had a black handle." 402:051,21[J ]| "You have not seen it since?" 402:051,22[G ]| "No, sir." 402:051,23[B ]| "What are you driving at, Cooney? Is it very likely the 402:051,24[B ]| murderer would find and leave his weapon on the premises?" 402:051,25[J ]| "I am going to have a hunt for it, at any rate." 402:051,26[' ]| Lumsden went out of the yard and across to Turner's, for he 402:051,27[' ]| had a mind for a talk with the woodman about his visit to Jones 402:051,28[' ]| last night. He found Turner very busy sawing in his yard, but 402:051,29[' ]| with such a serious face that it was evident the murder of his 402:051,30[' ]| neighbour had affected him greatly. 402:051,31[C ]| "Yes," 402:051,31[' ]| he said, as he sat down on a wood heap and wiped his 402:051,32[' ]| face with the loose sleeve of his shirt, 402:051,32[C ]| "I am awfully cut up about 402:051,33[C ]| it, though Jones was not a man any of his neighbours cared for; 402:051,34[C ]| but, you see, I must have been the last man that talked to him 402:051,35[C ]| before he was killed." 402:051,36[B ]| "It \was\ you I saw last night, then?" 402:051,37[C ]| "Oh, yes, it was me; and it is a good job the boy heard the old 402:051,38[C ]| man bidding me good-night, or I might have been suspected myself. 402:051,39[C ]| I went over to get paid for a little job I had been doing for 402:051,40[C ]| him." 402:051,41[B ]| "Clearing out the still, maybe?" 402:051,41[' ]| Lumsden asked, suspiciously. 402:051,42[C ]| "Nonsense; not that I will deny the old man \did\ once work a 402:051,43[C ]| private still in his cellar, for he owned as much to me last night. 402:051,44[C ]| And I want to tell you something else. They say you saw that 402:051,45[C ]| "Phantom*Hearse" last night?" 402:051,46[B ]| "Yes, I saw it," 402:051,46[' ]| was the short answer. 402:051,47[C ]| "Well, Jones told me a queer story about that last night. He 402:051,48[C ]| said that he would never again have anything to do with illicit 402:051,49[C ]| distilling ~~ he was getting too old, and the Dead*Hearse he 402:051,50[C ]| had encouraged such talk about all these years was nothing but the 402:051,51[C ]| conveyance that used to come for the whiskey now and again. 402:051,52[C ]| Some man was in the secret with him, it seemed, and they had a 402:051,53[C ]| black cover, and so on, made for the cart, so as to frighten people." 402:051,54[B ]| "I will take my oath!" 402:051,54[' ]| cried Lumsden, angrily, as Turner concluded, 402:051,55[B ]| "that what I saw last night was no real conveyance. I 402:051,56[B ]| went as close to it as I am to you, and I put out my hand twice to 402:051,57[B ]| try to touch it, but I had only air in my grip. And how could a 402:051,58[B ]| natural thing disappear from under my very eyes when there 402:051,59[B ]| was not a thing from end to end of the street but moonlight like 402:051,60[B ]| day?" 402:051,61[' ]| Turner smiled as he remembered that this defender of the supernatural 402:051,62[' ]| had only yesterday scouted the very idea of a ghostly 402:051,63[' ]| appearance, but he only said ~~ 402:051,64[C ]| "It is impossible to account for these things, but there is an old 402:051,65[C ]| saying that ""mocking is catching."" It may have been the real 402:051,66[C ]| thing last night, as a sort of warning for people not to imitate the 402:051,67[C ]| dead. Have ye found any kind of clue to the murderer?" 402:051,68[B ]| "Swipes is arrested, you know." 402:051,69[C ]| "Oh \he\ never did it, no more than I did; he is low and drunken, 402:051,70[C ]| and foul tongued, is Jerry, but he would not spill blood." 402:051,71[B ]| "Who do you think did, then?" 402:051,72[C ]| "Ah, constable, if I had any suspicions I would keep them to myself. 402:051,73[C ]| It is rather a dangerous thing to accuse an innocent person; but 402:051,74[C ]| I will go so far as to say that I think both the lost key of the old 402:051,75[C ]| man's door and the knife that killed him never left his own 402:051,76[C ]| home?" 402:051,77[' ]| And Turner turned to his work again. 402:051,78[' ]| Turner's opinion that the lost key and murderous weapon were in 402:051,79[' ]| the corner house renewed the young policeman's interest in it, and 402:051,80[' ]| he returned to see the result of Cooney's careful search. 402:051,81[J ]| "I have not left a corner hardly," 402:051,81[' ]| said Cooney, in reply to his 401:052,01[' ]| question, 401:052,01[J ]| "and Con has been helping me. We have found nothing 401:052,02[J ]| bearing on the murder. Con, go and try if you can get the old 401:052,03[J ]| lady out of her room. Say she is wanted in the shop; that will fetch 401:052,04[J ]| her, I think." 401:052,05[B ]| "Cooney, are you going to search her room?" 401:052,06[J ]| "Yes." 401:052,07[B ]| "You have some suspicions?" 401:052,08[J ]| "I can not answer you now ~~ follow me and you will see. I must 401:052,09[J ]| get into that room by hook or by crook. Will not she come out, 401:052,10[J ]| Con?" 401:052,11[G ]| "She will not answer at all," 401:052,11[' ]| replied the boy, who was knocking at 401:052,12[' ]| the door in the kitchen. 401:052,13[' ]| Cooney went round to the small window of the skillion room ~~ 401:052,14[' ]| there was a coarse curtain over it, but perceiving that it was 401:052,15[' ]| simply hung on hinges and opened outwards, the experienced constable 401:052,16[' ]| drew it open, and was master of the situation. Lifting 401:052,17[' ]| the curtain aside, he saw Mrs%*Jones sitting on a box opposite to 401:052,18[' ]| him, quite immobile. It appeared as if extraordinary emotion of 401:052,19[' ]| some sort had frozen into helplessness every bit of brain power of 401:052,20[' ]| which the poor old crature was possessed. 401:052,21[J ]| "Mrs%*Jones, there is half a-dozen customers in the shop ~~ do not 401:052,22[J ]| you hear Con calling you? Open the door and let him in." 401:052,23[' ]| She got up mechanically, still keeping her eyes fixed on Cooney, 401:052,24[' ]| who was leaning in the open window, but she seemed glued to the 401:052,25[' ]| spot where she stood, and kept her hands behind her in such a 401:052,26[' ]| strange way that the policeman decided on active measures, and 401:052,27[' ]| he had bounded through the open window and was standing before 401:052,28[' ]| the now trembling old creature in a moment. 401:052,29[' ]| Cooney's first act was to open the door, and then, having 401:052,30[' ]| Lumsden and Con as witnesses, he put a hand on Mrs%*Jones' arm 401:052,31[' ]| and drew her forward. The instant she was touched her hands 401:052,32[' ]| dropped to her sides, and there was a sound of something falling. 401:052,33[' ]| Lying on the floor behind her were the key of her dead husband's 401:052,34[' ]| door and the long, rusty weapon the unfortunate man had sharpened 401:052,35[' ]| for his own murder. 401:052,36[J ]| "I thought it was something this way," 401:052,36[' ]| said Cooney, as he 401:052,37[' ]| stooped for the articles. 401:052,37[J ]| "God help her; she is not accountable. 401:052,38[J ]| How did you come to kill the old man, missis?" 401:052,39[F ]| "It was quite true," 401:052,39[' ]| she said, stonily. 401:052,39[F ]| "Watch him and you will 401:052,40[F ]| see. I must go and mind the shop." 401:052,41[' ]| Past the horrified Con she staggered, and her shaking hands 401:052,42[' ]| groped before her as one in the dark. Opposite the door leading 401:052,43[' ]| into the shop she paused unsteadily, looking toward that of the 401:052,44[' ]| death chamber, which was on her right hand. Then she turned 401:052,45[' ]| to the right, opened the door of the darkened room, and glided in. 401:052,46[' ]| All this time the men and boy were watching and following her. 401:052,47[' ]| When the poor old creature crossed the threshhold she put out her 401:052,48[' ]| hands in an attitude of entreaty, as though to the dead, and, 401:052,49[' ]| falling on her knees by the bedside, her face sank to the reddened 401:052,50[' ]| coverlid, over which her outstretched hands lay. She spoke no 401:052,51[' ]| word ~~ not even a moan passed her lips, and when Cooney had 401:052,52[' ]| waited vainly for a moment or two, thinking to hear some word of 401:052,53[' ]| prayer or entreaty, he stepped forward quickly and raised her 401:052,54[' ]| face. She was dead. 401:052,55[J ]| "So best," 401:052,55[' ]| he murmured, 401:052,55[J ]| "she has gone to keep shop in comfort 401:052,56[J ]| in the ""big city."" I will never believe she knew what she was doing." 401:052,57[B ]| "It seems to me a matter of impossibility that an arm like that 401:052,58[B ]| could strike such a blow," 401:052,58[' ]| muttered Lumsden. 401:052,59[J ]| "She struck through no bones, and the way the man was lying 401:052,60[J ]| made it an easy job. I have been hearing something from Con that 401:052,61[J ]| made all plain to me. It seems that Jerry*Swipes told her to 401:052,62[J ]| watch the old man yesterday. The fool was only amusing himself 401:052,63[J ]| trying to excite the poor old creature's jealousy, but a fool's 401:052,64[J ]| words often makes the devil's opening. It was she that took the 401:052,65[J ]| key of the door, so that Jones could not lock himself in, and the 401:052,66[J ]| devil laid that long knife handy to her. May God have mercy on 401:052,67[J ]| her soul!" 401:052,68[B ]| "And maybe that is more than was said for the man she 401:052,69[B ]| murdered," 401:052,69[' ]| Lumsden discontentedly remarked. 401:052,70[J ]| "Maybe he does not want it so bad. At all events he had no 401:052,71[J ]| blood on his hands." 401:052,72[' ]| No more need be said, save that never from that day to this has 401:052,73[' ]| the "Phantom*Hearse" been seen near "Jones'*Corner." 502:044,01@@@@@| 502:044,01[' ]| <"THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER."> 502:044,02[A ]| I think I was among the first of the mounted men placed in 502:044,03[A ]| charge of a station on the diggings, the rule of those days being to 502:044,04[A ]| favour the foot policeman in this respect, the mounted men being 502:044,05[A ]| naturally oftener employed away from camp. Why the rule was 502:044,06[A ]| broken in my case I have no idea, but the fact was very agreeable 502:044,07[A ]| to me at the time, giving me an importance that was very 502:044,08[A ]| pleasant to a greenhorn. 502:044,09[A ]| Yes, thus I was styled by my mate, Constable*Ryan, with 502:044,10[A ]| aggravating frequence, but it was true, objectionable though the 502:044,11[A ]| epithet was to me. I had not been six months in the colony 502:044,12[A ]| when I found myself in charge at Ti-tree*Diggings, and half of 502:044,13[A ]| the time named had been spent at the depo^t acquiring such 502:044,14[A ]| departmental training as I had not already received as an ensign 502:044,15[A ]| in the English militia service. 502:044,16[A ]| We got to Ti-tree late in the afternoon of a summer day in the 502:044,17[A ]| year 1854, and never shall I forget the impression made upon me 502:044,18[A ]| by my first near view of a "rush" in full swing. Gold was being 502:044,19[A ]| got freely just then on Ti-tree, and there was a wildness and 502:044,20[A ]| freedom of life and surroundings that confounded me. Ryan laughed 502:044,21[A ]| at me; he had been an unlucky digger himself in 1853, and the 502:044,22[A ]| scene had no charm for him. 502:044,23[A ]| We had brought up our wooden-framed station and other 502:044,24[A ]| material to form a police camp such as was then in vogue, and 502:044,25[A ]| the carts had halted on a little rise just as we entered the tent-lined 502:044,26[A ]| road, behind which, on either side, were up-piled the heaps of 502:044,27[A ]| yellowish soil that marked the digger's labours. In each tent was 502:044,28[A ]| the inevitable bar (for every tent was a grog shop in those days); 502:044,29[A ]| flags of every hue and shape and size, mounted on rough, bush-trimmed 502:044,30[A ]| saplings, dotted the tent-covered low hills, and there was 502:044,31[A ]| little sound, save what was, to me, the strange swash-swash, swash-swash 502:044,32[A ]| of the rocking cradles down by the hidden creek. I was 502:044,33[A ]| aroused by the sharp voice of Ryan ~~ 502:044,34@b | "Are the horses to swelter here under their loads much longer, 502:044,35@b | Mr%*Man-in-charge? Maybe you could find time to pick out a 502:044,36@b | camping-ground, seeing as you will likely have more time to study 502:044,37@b | the beauties of the landscape than will be agreeable to you when 502:044,38@b | we have a roof over our heads." 502:044,39@a | "A camping-ground? What do you think, Ryan?" 502:044,40@b | "What do I think, is it? Well, I think we must be near the 502:044,41@b | creek, anyhow, while being pretty close to the centre of population 502:044,42@b | at the same time. There is a nice green rise below there, where 502:044,43@b | the Yankee flag is waiting for a breeze; let us go on and look at it." 502:044,44[' ]| We erected our buildings on the spot my chum's quick eye 502:044,45[' ]| had fixed upon, and it was as the horses were being unyoked 502:044,46[' ]| that I first heard of Kate*Juniper. When Ryan discovered 502:044,47[' ]| that the big tent with the star-spangled banner in front 502:044,48[' ]| of it, opposite which we had selected our site, was Kate*Juniper's, 502:044,49[' ]| he showed a good deal of excitement for so stolid a 502:044,50[' ]| fellow, and at night, when we had rigged up our temporary shelter 502:044,51[' ]| and got the horses comfortable, he told me a good deal more 502:044,52[' ]| about the woman who seemed to interest him so much. 502:044,53@b | "She has gone in to Castlemaine for goods," 502:044,53[A ]| Ryan said, 502:044,53@b | "and you 502:044,54@b | will not see her till to-morrow. And now, Percy, do not forget the 502:044,55@b | warning I have given you ~~ you could not do a worse thing than get 502:044,56@b | soft on Kate*Juniper." 502:044,57@a | "Get soft on Kate*Juniper? Gad! you must think me soft 502:044,58@a | already, Jack*Ryan! From what you have told me of the habits 502:044,59@a | and customs of the woman in question I should say she is about 502:044,60@a | as far from my idea of womanhood as she can well be. No fear, 502:044,61@a | sir; no fear." 502:044,62@b | "Wiser men than you have said and thought the like, me 502:044,63@b | young buck; but wait a bit. There is something that \drags\ you 502:044,64@b | to her in Kate*Juniper in spite of her almost unwomanly ways, 502:044,65@b | and no man can deny that she is about the finest woman to look 502:044,66@b | at that ever the sun shone upon." 502:044,67[A ]| This was enough to make a young man curious to see her, you 502:044,68[A ]| will own, and I \was\ curious; but it was not until the afternoon of 502:044,69[A ]| the following day that the subject of our conversation turned up. 502:044,70@b | "There she is! There is Kate!" 502:044,70[A ]| Ryan cried, as he dropped his 502:044,71[A ]| hammer and turned on the ladder he was using to shade his eyes 502:044,72[A ]| from the sun. 502:044,72@b | "On the back track there, flying like the wind, on 501:045,01@b | a black horse! She is coming up the back way to her place, and 501:045,02@b | now we will not see her until night." 501:045,03[' ]| I watched the horsewoman pointed out to me dashing along the 501:045,04[' ]| track, and swerving gracefully to cross the log bridge over the 501:045,05[' ]| creek. She was too distant at first for me to see more than the 501:045,06[' ]| outline of a large, easy form, quite at home in the saddle, and 501:045,07[' ]| dressed in ordinary female walking attire, with a broad, grey hat 501:045,08[' ]| shading a sun-browned face; and then the tents hid horse and 501:045,09[' ]| rider. I was disappointed. 501:045,10[' ]| Let me sketch in outline what of Kate*Juniper I had learned 501:045,11[' ]| from Ryan before I made her acquaintance that night. He had 501:045,12[' ]| known her a year previous on Forest*Creek, where she kept, as 501:045,13[' ]| she was keeping now, a sort of restaurant and grog shanty, with, 501:045,14[' ]| for help and sort of protection, a middle-aged couple named Brown 501:045,15[' ]| living with her. 501:045,16@b | "It was currently reported on Forest*Creek," 501:045,16[A ]| said Ryan, 501:045,16@b | "that 501:045,17@b | Kate had a husband at Barker's, about whose identity no man 501:045,18@b | was certain. All that was known or guessed was that Kate and 501:045,19@b | he had parted, and that at any allusion to his existence her eyes 501:045,20@b | blazed and her fingers clenched. And when you come to know a 501:045,21@b | little of her, Percy, you will wonder how such a woman ever 501:045,22@b | came to marry, for she is as masterful and independent ~~ ay, and 501:045,23@b | powerful ~~ as any ordinary man, though she has a heart soft as 501:045,24@b | honey for sickness or trouble, for all that. There will be a regular 501:045,25@b | roll up to Kate's to-night, you will see, for I tell you she \draws\ the 501:045,26@b | men no end, somehow, without being even civil to them." 501:045,27[A ]| My first good look at Kate*Juniper was at sundown. I was 501:045,28[A ]| lying on the grass outside our new station, smoking and lazily 501:045,29[A ]| enjoying the new excitement of watching an Australian gold-field 501:045,30[A ]| after the diggers had left work and were mostly housed in 501:045,31[A ]| restaurant or tent, washing themselves and changing their 501:045,32[A ]| working attire in preparation for the evening's amusement, or 501:045,33[A ]| seeing to the cooking of their rough suppers. The haze of past 501:045,34[A ]| heat lay low on the ground down by the creek. Every wilted-looking 501:045,35[A ]| flag hung lifeless against its rough pole, and there was a 501:045,36[A ]| sort of temporary hush over white-tented Ti-tree when the figure 501:045,37[A ]| of a woman came with a quick, confident step out of the "Star-spangled Banner" 501:045,38[A ]| and glanced sharply toward the low, red sun. 501:045,39[A ]| Ryan was behind me, and said ~~ 501:045,39@b | "Hush!" 501:045,39[A ]| just to draw my 501:045,40[A ]| attention; but I had seen Kate before he did. 501:045,41[A ]| She was a woman of twenty-six, perhaps more, and of a 501:045,42[A ]| woman's full height without seeming actually tall, with a rather 501:045,43[A ]| full figure, yet so perfectly developed that it gave one the idea of 501:045,44[A ]| a slender outline. In every movement there was a natural grace 501:045,45[A ]| and suppleness, and a dark, handsome face was crowned by a 501:045,46[A ]| mass of the most splendid black hair I ever set eyes on. Her 501:045,47[A ]| dress was of some simple, thin black material, but it was draped 501:045,48[A ]| upon her according to some classical secret of her own, for I never 501:045,49[A ]| saw another woman's figure outline so perfectly and gracefully. 501:045,50[A ]| She devoted a steady, inquiring look to us new arrivals of the 501:045,51[A ]| police camp, and then she moved out to the flag-staff, loosed the 501:045,52[A ]| halyards deftly, letting the folded flag drop lightly to half-mast, 501:045,53[A ]| and then, holding the lines easily in her hands, gazed at the 501:045,54[A ]| setting sun. 501:045,55@a | "What is she doing? What is she waiting for?" 501:045,55[A ]| I asked of 501:045,56[A ]| Ryan, in a half-whisper. 501:045,57@b | "For sunset. You just watch, for it is worth seeing. Kate sets 501:045,58@b | the time wherever she is. You will hear some shooting presently. 501:045,59@b | Nearly every man on Ti-tree will take time from Kate's shooting-iron." 501:045,60@b | 501:045,61[A ]| I had no time to ask for further explanation. The sun had 501:045,62[A ]| dipped half of his round crimson into the horizon; in another 501:045,63[A ]| moment the other half disappeared, and Kate*Juniper's right hand 501:045,64[A ]| held a light revolver in the air. Crack ~~ crack ~~ crack ~~ crack ~~ 501:045,65[A ]| crack ~~ crack! went the six shots, the latter five of which were 501:045,66[A ]| echoed and caught up by hundreds of firearms that had but waited 501:045,67[A ]| Kate's signal. Then the revolver disappeared, and the woman's 501:045,68[A ]| deft hands flashed among the halyards, and up and out, broad and 501:045,69[A ]| resplendent, went the "star-spangled banner" on the breeze. 501:045,70@b | "Hurrah, Kate!" 501:045,70[A ]| cried Ryan, as he darted down the grass and 501:045,71[A ]| across the road; 501:045,71@b | "your revolver brought up the breeze. I have seen 501:045,72@b | it do that before." 501:045,73@c | "Who are you?" 501:045,73[A ]| she asked, coolly, as she let her grand, dark 501:045,74[A ]| eyes rest inquiringly on the approaching figure. 501:045,75@b | "Have you forgotten me so soon, Kate? Jack*Ryan? I was 501:045,76@b | digging on Forest*Creek last year." 501:045,77@c | "And now you are a trap?" 501:045,77[A ]| And, so saying, without another 501:045,78[A ]| word, the stately woman disappeared within the tent; leaving Ryan 501:045,79[A ]| looking stupidly after her. Presently he came back to camp. 501:045,80@b | "Gad, I forgot!" 501:045,80[A ]| he laughed. 501:045,80@b | "I have cut myself clean out with 501:045,81@b | Kate." 502:045,01@a | "How so?" 502:045,02@b | "By joining the Force. Kate hates policemen." 502:045,03@a | "That is nothing in her favour!" 502:045,03[A ]| I said, shortly, with the quick 502:045,04[A ]| touchiness as to his "profession" of the new "bobby;" 502:045,04@a | "Perhaps 502:045,05@a | she has good cause to hate them." 502:045,06[A ]| Ryan looked at me askance, and grinned. 502:045,06@b | "I guess you will 502:045,07@b | change your mind when you are acquainted with Kate! I do not 502:045,08@b | think it is in her to do a dirty trick, much less a mean one. And," 502:045,09[A ]| he added, with his favourite expletive, 502:045,09@b | "by gar! I would not be 502:045,10@b | surprised if she changed her opinion about the police jumper 502:045,11@b | either, as far as you are concerned. Kate has a weakness for 502:045,12@b | handsome, young faces with down on them instead of hair; they 502:045,13@b | tell me she is regular shook on a young chap they call Lambert on 502:045,14@b | Ti-tree just now." 502:045,15[A ]| Of course these remarks upon my youth and inexperience were 502:045,16[A ]| by no means pleasing to me, but Ryan easily soothed me, at about 502:045,17[A ]| nine o'clock, when he asked me to cross to Kate's bar. 502:045,18@b | "You will see a lot of the fellows there by this time," 502:045,18[A ]| he explained; 502:045,19@b | "and if we want to get on well among them we must not keep anyway 502:045,20@b | stuck up. Come on; by gar! you are shining like anything. 502:045,21@b | Oh, by gar!" 502:045,22@a | "I will make you shine, Mr%*Ryan, if you do not keep a civil tongue 502:045,23@a | in your head;" 502:045,23[A ]| and, making believe to dodge an imaginary blow 502:045,24[A ]| from me, my mate led the way across the road. 502:045,25[A ]| My first acquaintance with a digger's haunt in the gold days ~~ 502:045,26[A ]| how well I remember it. The tent was, I dare say, thirty feet long, 502:045,27[A ]| and proportionately wide, supplemented at the back by several 502:045,28[A ]| smaller tenements of canvas. A long table crossed the back of 502:045,29[A ]| the tent, at either side of which were forms. A dozen men were 502:045,30[A ]| seated in various unconventional attitudes, most of them with the 502:045,31[A ]| inevitable nobbler at hand, and the low, blue wreaths of smoke 502:045,32[A ]| from pipes or cigars rolled lazily up among the rafters of the tent 502:045,33[A ]| (which was a frame one), and escaped through the large apertures 502:045,34[A ]| left in the gables for the purposes of ventilation. 502:045,35[A ]| Behind the bar counter, a rough erection, covered with zinc 502:045,36[A ]| stood Kate, attending with composure and ease to the wants of ten 502:045,37[A ]| or a dozen more of her friends, who lounged around. More men 502:045,38[A ]| hung around the entrance, or squatted on cases or kegs that lay 502:045,39[A ]| against one wall of the building; there might be thirty in all, most 502:045,40[A ]| of them talking or laughing, or doing both, and making a very 502:045,41[A ]| babel of noise. 502:045,42[A ]| It was a queer scene, and in the glaring light afforded by half a 502:045,43[A ]| dozen big oil lamps, slung or standing here and there, it at first 502:045,44[A ]| bewildered me. When more at ease I met the handsome eyes of 502:045,45[A ]| Kate fixed on me with something of curiosity, and Ryan introduced 502:045,46[A ]| me with a sort of half-mocking deprecation that made the 502:045,47[A ]| woman's eyes snap dangerously. 502:045,48@b | "I coaxed him over to save me own bacon," 502:045,48[A ]| he said, when he 502:045,49[A ]| had named me. 502:045,49@b | "Gar! you nearly snapped me head off at sundown, 502:045,50@b | Kate; but, sure, you could not be cross with me after bringing 502:045,51@b | you such a handsome young buck as my mate, Percy*Butt. And 502:045,52@b | we have left the uniforms behind, Kate, me darlin', to please you." 502:045,53@c | "No thanks to you for that, Jack*Ryan. The uniform would 502:045,54@c | stand a good chance of being taken off your back if it was reported 502:045,55@c | of you that you took it into a shanty." 502:045,56@b | "Faugh!" 502:045,56[A ]| Ryan said, contemptuously; 502:045,56@b | "you have no 502:045,57@b | informers round you, Kate. Give us a whet, like a lady." 502:045,58@d | "Who is that talking of informers?" 502:045,58[A ]| asked a slow, distinct 502:045,59[A ]| voice that came from behind. 502:045,60[A ]| I looked round and saw the dark face of a good-looking man of 502:045,61[A ]| thirty-five or so turned towards Kate, waiting for an answer, as 502:045,62[A ]| it were, while he held in one hand the cards he had just been 502:045,63[A ]| dealt, and in the other a cigar, from which the smoke was escaping 502:045,64[A ]| in lightly wreathing convolutions, which he broke with a sudden 502:045,65[A ]| dash of the well-shaped hand as he repeated his question more 502:045,66[A ]| drawlingly. 502:045,67@d | "Who is talking of informers?" 502:045,68@c | "There is no*one talking to you, at all events, Dark*Deccatur, 502:045,69@c | so you can attend to your own business, if you please." 502:045,70@d | "And not spoil sport, eh?" 502:045,70[A ]| sneered the man, with a mocking 502:045,71[A ]| glance at me. 502:045,71@d | "A new mouse in your trap, my dear? Charming 502:045,72@d | ~~ always charming, Kate*Juniper! Hearts are trumps, eh, Loder?" 502:045,73@w | "Oh, man, hearts are always trumps! It is your lead." 502:045,74[A ]| I saw the angry blood rush up to the roots of Kate's dark hair, 502:045,75[A ]| but she made no reply. Handing Ryan his drink, she quietly 502:045,76[A ]| pushed a bottle of claret towards me, and placing a tumbler and 502:045,77[A ]| basin of lump sugar beside it, motioned to me to help myself. 502:045,78@c | "I always give my boys soft drinks," 502:045,78[A ]| she said, with a faint 502:045,79[A ]| little smile, as she let the large dark eyes rest on mine for ever 502:045,80[A ]| such a little time; 502:045,80@c | "it is better for them. Help yourself, Mr%*Butt." 502:045,81@c | 501:046,01@b | "Milk for babes!" 501:046,01[A ]| cried Ryan, as he lifted his spirits to his 501:046,02[A ]| lips. 501:046,02@b | "Arrah musha! Here is to you, Kate!" 501:046,03[A ]| I had drawn out my purse to pay for the drinks, but Kate 501:046,04[A ]| quietly waved it aside. 501:046,05@c | "I never take pay from a policeman," 501:046,05[A ]| she explained, with a 501:046,06[A ]| little archness; 501:046,06@c | "it would not be safe;" 501:046,06[A ]| and there was a laugh from 501:046,07[A ]| those who heard and understood. 501:046,08[A ]| I felt the blood mount into my face now, and would have given 501:046,09[A ]| five years of my life to have owned a big beard like Ryan's to 501:046,10[A ]| cover some of my blushes. 501:046,11@a | "If I can not pay, I do not drink," 501:046,11[A ]| I said, pushing the glass away; 501:046,12[A ]| but Kate's brilliant eyes did the business easily, as she said, in a 501:046,13[A ]| low tone, as if for my own ear ~~ 501:046,13@c | "Do not be silly; it is the custom 501:046,14@c | of the place. Let me mix it for you." 501:046,15[A ]| There are worse drinks on a hot night than good claret with 501:046,16[A ]| lump sugar in it, and even to this day I never see it without 501:046,17[A ]| thinking of Kate*Juniper's well-shaped hands as they hovered over 501:046,18[A ]| my tumbler blending the snowy sugar with the rich purple-red of 501:046,19[A ]| the wine. 501:046,20[A ]| I can not say that I enjoyed myself much that night. The folks 501:046,21[A ]| were all strangers to me, and I felt oppressed by my youth. Ryan 501:046,22[A ]| fell in with some old diggings friend, and got into a corner with 501:046,23[A ]| him. Everyone seemd to be talking together, and the noise was 501:046,24[A ]| disturbing to me, though the mistress moved among her bottles 501:046,25[A ]| with the quiet composure of a lady in her drawing-room. She 501:046,26[A ]| was certainly far superior to her surroundings, and that she had 501:046,27[A ]| refined taste her plainness of dress evinced. Even then I observed 501:046,28[A ]| the absence of ornament on her person as something uncommon, 501:046,29[A ]| and I often afterwards reflected upon this when in presence of 501:046,30[A ]| persons engaged in the same business loaded with easily-acquired 501:046,31[A ]| jewellery. In those days lucky diggers were so lavish of their 501:046,32[A ]| gifts that it was no very uncommon thing for a woman to twist a 501:046,33[A ]| coil of small nuggets two or three times round her neck, and I saw 501:046,34[A ]| a woman once with a ring on her forefinger that turned the scale 501:046,35[A ]| at two ounces. Kate*Juniper had not a single ring on her hand, 501:046,36[A ]| or even a brooch at her throat. 501:046,37[A ]| I had been in the tent a good bit, smoking and watching quietly 501:046,38[A ]| as I finished my claret, when there was a new arrival; a fair, 501:046,39[A ]| handsome chap, of about my own age, came into the tent, 501:046,40[A ]| and, with a smile that lit up the sunniest face I had ever seen, 501:046,41[A ]| doffed his white flannel cap and approached Kate. 501:046,42@d | "My dear boy, you may look out for squalls to-night ~~ there is a 501:046,43@d | new and successful candidate for your lady's fickle favour," 501:046,43[A ]| a 501:046,44[A ]| sneering voice spoke, quietly, and the handsome man they called 501:046,45[A ]| Dark*Deccatur turned mockingly toward the bar as if to note the 501:046,46[A ]| effect of his sneer. I thought it strange that neither Kate nor the 501:046,47[A ]| new-comer appeared to take the slightest notice. I watched 501:046,48[A ]| Kate's reception of him with the deepest interest. 501:046,49[A ]| It was that of an elder sister, no more ~~ at most, a loving and 501:046,50[A ]| devoted elder sister, and I repeat this, as I often have had to 501:046,51[A ]| repeat it, with a full knowledge of the after events having 501:046,52[A ]| reference to the "Tragedy at Ti-tree." No matter what was said, 501:046,53[A ]| or what may have been believed, there was no sin in the love of 501:046,54[A ]| Kate*Juniper for Charlie*Gold. 501:046,55@w | "Why, Charlie? Where are the dogs?" 501:046,55[A ]| one of the men 501:046,56[A ]| laughingly asked him, and he glanced rather sheepishly at Kate 501:046,57[A ]| as he answered ~~ 501:046,58@e | "Kate told me she would poison the poor fellow if I brought them 501:046,59@e | again, and I expect the tent will be in tatters when I get back." 501:046,60@w | "You have fastened them up?" 501:046,61@e | "As well as I could. By Jove, here is Spring!" 501:046,62[A ]| The young fellow's fresh and handsome face flushed up to his 501:046,63[A ]| fair, wavy hair as a yellow and white kangaroo dog bounded up 501:046,64[A ]| to him, and, in spite of his protestations, managed to lick his 501:046,65[A ]| master's face and hands a dozen times. It was as if the creature 501:046,66[A ]| had said plainly ~~ 501:046,66@x | "As if I could be kept away from you!" 501:046,66[A ]| And 501:046,67[A ]| Kate coaxed the dog to the counter for half a dozen lumps of sugar 501:046,68[A ]| out of my basin. 501:046,69@c | "I love that dog," 501:046,69[A ]| the strange woman whispered. 501:046,69@c | "How 501:046,70@c | faithful he is!" 501:046,71[A ]| Deccatur's harsh laugh rang mockingly through the tent, as he 501:046,72[A ]| slapped his cards down on the table, and turned round to look 501:046,73[A ]| straight in Kate's face. 501:046,74@d | " ""Love me, love my dog!"" " 501:046,74[A ]| he shouted. 501:046,74@d | "Have \you\ got a dog, 501:046,75@d | Mr%*Constable*Butt? If you have not, start one at once, or you 501:046,76@d | will not have half a chance with Madam*Stars*and*Stripes." 501:046,77@a | "Will I put that fellow out for you, Miss*Juniper?" 501:046,77[A ]| I asked, 501:046,78[A ]| hotly. 501:046,79@w | "You will get plenty of backers if you do," 501:046,79[A ]| an athletic digger near 501:046,80[A ]| me said, coolly. 501:046,81@c | "Ah, no!" 501:046,81[A ]| Kate answered, with a look of contempt that ought 502:046,01[A ]| to have driven the fellow out of her sight without any backing 502:046,02@c | "Dark*Deccatur is losing at cards; let him alone. I like to see 502:046,03@c | it, for it kills him to lose a shilling. You did not pay me for the 502:046,04@c | last two drinks you had, Mr%*Deccatur." 502:046,05@d | "I will pay my score and interest in full some day," 502:046,05[A ]| he said, 502:046,06[A ]| between his clenched teeth, as over my hands he tossed a couple 502:046,07[A ]| of shillings. 502:046,07@d | "In the meantime, take pay for the two drinks." 502:046,08@c | "Thank you; there is a score of principal and interest on \my\ 502:046,09@c | side, too, that I will pay some day, believe me," 502:046,09[A ]| Kate said, with a 502:046,10[A ]| marked emphasis. 502:046,10@c | "And now attend to your game, Dark*Deccatur, 502:046,11@c | for my patience is pretty nearly exhausted." 502:046,12@d | "You have a trap near you," 502:046,12[A ]| was the significant response. 502:046,13[A ]| And she replied, simply ~~ 502:046,13@c | "Yes, I will not forget." 502:046,14[A ]| Ryan and I returned to camp before it was very late, and, as we 502:046,15[A ]| occupied our, as yet, temporary couches, we talked mostly of 502:046,16[A ]| Kate, for I had a hundred things of her to ask and suggest and 502:046,17[A ]| wonder about. Ryan was quieter than ever I had known him, I 502:046,18[A ]| think, and had evidently something on his mind. What it was I 502:046,19[A ]| discovered before long. 502:046,20@a | "What does she let that dark fellow give her impudence for?" 502:046,21[A ]| I had asked him, and Ryan replied to me that the question would 502:046,22[A ]| puzzle, and had puzzled, some of her oldest friends. 502:046,23@b | "I only knew Kate on Forest*Creek, you know," 502:046,23[A ]| he went on, 502:046,24@b | "and this Deccatur was not there then; but he was on Barker's, it 502:046,25@b | seems. I have heard a queer story to-night that I can not piece 502:046,26@b | together nohow. You saw me talking to a chap, did not you, 502:046,27@b | Butt?" 502:046,28@a | "Yes." 502:046,29@b | "His name is Flynn. He says that Kate was on Eaglehawk 502:046,30@b | three years ago ~~ in the very beginning of the gold finds ~~ and that 502:046,31@b | she was a married woman, whose husband had deserted her just 502:046,32@b | before Flynn knew her, and that she had a little child then that 502:046,33@b | died, and was buried in the bottom of Mr%*Stanton's run." 502:046,34@a | "Poor Kate!" 502:046,34[A ]| I said. 502:046,35@b | "I do not know so much about that," 502:046,35[A ]| was Ryan's shrewd remark 502:046,36[A ]| to my pitying tone. 502:046,36@b | "This Flynn tells me that her husband was 502:046,37@b | jealous of a mounted man who was license hunting. Butt, did 502:046,38@b | you ever hear of a fellow of our Force who was lost from Eaglehawk 502:046,39@b | about that time? His name was Craven?" 502:046,40@a | "No; I do not think I did. How was he lost?" 502:046,41@b | "He rode out one morning from the station and never came 502:046,42@b | back. His horse did before dark, and it was evident, from a 502:046,43@b | broken bit of rope he had round his neck, that the animal had 502:046,44@b | been tied up somewhere and broken loose. They were not uneasy 502:046,45@b | about the man at first, for the horse and accoutrements were all 502:046,46@b | right; but Craven never came home." 502:046,47@a | "Where did he go?" 502:046,48@b | "Do not I tell you he was lost? No man to this day knows 502:046,49@b | what became of him; he was never seen or heard of since." 502:046,50@a | "What nonsense! Someone must have seen him after he left 502:046,51@a | the police camp." 502:046,52@b | "He went in the direction of the lead, and one or two diggers 502:046,53@b | saw him riding up by Deer's*Gully, and thought he was making 502:046,54@b | for Mr%*Stanton's homestead. He was never heard of again. I 502:046,55@b | knew all this before, but I heard something new to-night." 502:046,56@a | "About Craven?" 502:046,57@b | "Yes. Flynn says that Kate's husband was working at 502:046,58@b | Stanton's, and that she had a little hut just at the boundary of 502:046,59@b | the run by Deer's*Gully. It seems that Trooper*Craven had been 502:046,60@b | seen at Kate's hut more than once, and Flynn always suspected 502:046,61@b | than he may have been there that day." 502:046,62@a | "Good heavens, do you know what you are saying, man!" 502:046,62[A ]| I 502:046,63[A ]| cried, angrily, as I sat up in bed and stared at my cool mate. 502:046,64@a | "Are you accusing a woman like that of murder?" 502:046,65@b | "That is not the idea at all. Flynn always thought that Kate's 502:046,66@b | husband might have a hand in it, though, for her sake, he held his 502:046,67@b | tongue, and Juniper had cleared out from her just a little before. 502:046,68@b | Then the little boy died, and Kate was nearly broken-hearted; 502:046,69@b | that was how she took up the grog-selling business, he says." 502:046,70[A ]| I lay down in my bed again, and made no answer; the story I 502:046,71[A ]| had just heard might or might not be true, but there was 502:046,72[A ]| undoubtedly a strange shadow and a strange quiet in the woman's 502:046,73[A ]| beautiful face. It might be the shadow of some bitter memory. 502:046,74@a | "She is very fond of that Charlie*Gold," 502:046,74[A ]| I said, at last, 502:046,74@a | "but I 502:046,75@a | am sure that it is a harmless love, such as she might have for a 502:046,76@a | younger brother." 502:046,77@b | "Kate is imprudent," 502:046,77[A ]| was the wise reply, 502:046,77@b | "and too careless of 502:046,78@b | the opinion of those she, no doubt, despises. I used to think on 502:046,79@b | Forest*Creek that she made favourites just out of devilment." 502:046,80@a | "Out of devilment?" 502:046,81@b | "Yes, just to rile people, and let them see how she despises 501:047,01@b | their tongues. Disappointment and the want of sympathy often 501:047,02@b | makes people indifferent to the opinion of others." 501:047,03[A ]| I did not sleep that night as readily as was my wont, and the 501:047,04[A ]| face of Kate*Juniper visited my dreams; but I was up early 501:047,05[A ]| enough to see the sun rise above the low spur of Cobarrong*Range, 501:047,06[A ]| and at that early hour the woman I had dreamed of was hoisting 501:047,07[A ]| the "star-spangled banner," after which she had named her 501:047,08[A ]| restaurant. 501:047,09[A ]| As the flag floated wide and fluttering in the morning air, Kate 501:047,10[A ]| turned her eyes across to the station and saw me. A friendly nod 501:047,11[A ]| was all I got, however, for just at the moment a perfect stream of 501:047,12[A ]| diggers, armed with picks and shovels, and on their way to their 501:047,13[A ]| several claims, set into the tent. Kate followed to supply their 501:047,14[A ]| bibulous wants, and, whether in response to intuition or foresight, 501:047,15[A ]| I went across and entered the tent also. 501:047,16[A ]| Kate was serving a man who seemed in a hurry. I knew afterwards 501:047,17[A ]| that he was a working mate of Charlie*Gold, named Dunn. 501:047,18@w | "Charlie will be waiting for me," 501:047,18[A ]| this man said; 501:047,18@w | "I must not 501:047,19@w | delay." 501:047,20@c | "What sent Charlie to work so soon?" 501:047,20[A ]| Kate asked, as she 501:047,21[A ]| handed the man his drink. 501:047,22@w | "A good prospect, Kate," 501:047,22[A ]| was the half-whispered reply; 501:047,22@w | "we 501:047,23@w | saw gold in the drift yesterday." 501:047,24@x | "Talking of drifts," 501:047,24[A ]| cried a digger who had just entered, as he 501:047,25[A ]| planted his pick wrong end up in the clay floor and sat upon it, 501:047,26@x | "do not you think the creek is leaking against your claim?" 501:047,27@w | "Leaking? What makes you think so?" 501:047,28@x | "I crossed over that way just now, and I almost fancied the 501:047,29@x | ground sinking just below your peg. I guessed I would see you 501:047,30@x | here, and meant to tell you. Do not you go down that shaft this 501:047,31@x | morning, Dunn, until you have examined the ground." 501:047,32@w | "My God, Charlie's down!" 501:047,32[A ]| was all Dunn said, as he darted 501:047,33[A ]| from the tent. 501:047,34[A ]| In a moment there was such a commotion as bewildered me ~~ 501:047,35[A ]| men ejaculated, seized picks and shovels, and rushed from the 501:047,36[A ]| tent. Following, I saw they were running round to the back, and 501:047,37[A ]| when I looked into the tent again Kate had disappeared. 501:047,38@a | "What is it? What has happened?" 501:047,38[A ]| I asked the only man 501:047,39[A ]| who was left, and who was struggling into a boot he had removed 501:047,40[A ]| for some rearrangement. 501:047,41@x | "Did not you hear? Charlie*Gold's claim is falling in, and 501:047,42@x | he is down the shaft. God help the lad! Curse the boot!" 501:047,42[A ]| and, 501:047,43[A ]| with a stamp of the foot on which he had dragged the rebellious 501:047,44[A ]| boot, the speaker was off. You may be sure I followed him. 501:047,45[A ]| Guided by the running men, I soon reached the scene, on which 501:047,46[A ]| was being enacted something so serious that every digger's face 501:047,47[A ]| was blanched as he looked upon it. Just at the point where 501:047,48[A ]| Charlie*Gold's claim met the bank of the creek the water was 501:047,49[A ]| deep, and the ground sandy and treacherous, and now it was 501:047,50[A ]| plainly to be seen that the bank of the creek was giving way so 501:047,51[A ]| strangely, and in such a silent, deathly way, that the experienced 501:047,52[A ]| men around could not at first suggest any explanation of the fact 501:047,53[A ]| that gradually, inch by inch, the soil was getting water-soaked, 501:047,54[A ]| and slowly, but surely, sinking. The settlement had already crept 501:047,55[A ]| nearly up to the windlass when I got there, and only the upper 501:047,56[A ]| part of the claim was available to stand safely upon. 501:047,57[A ]| Dunn, Charlie's mate, was at the windlass, with Kate*Juniper, 501:047,58[A ]| who would not be kept back, beside him. I shall remember the 501:047,59[A ]| agony in that woman's ghastly face while I live. Dunn lifted his 501:047,60[A ]| hand. 501:047,61@w | "Friends, stand back! You can do no good here, and your 501:047,62@w | weight may hasten the collapse. Something is wrong with 501:047,63@w | Charlie, for he has not answered me. He is my mate, and I am 501:047,64@w | going down. Two volunteers for the windlass." 501:047,65@x | "You are going to your death, Dunn," 501:047,65[A ]| one man said, in a low 501:047,66[A ]| tone; 501:047,66@x | "the ground is caving in visibly." 501:047,67@c | "One friend to help Dunn at the windlass! \I\ am going down." 501:047,68[A ]| It was Kate who spoke, clearly and steadily, as she deftly folded 501:047,69[A ]| her skirts round her and stepped into the bucket. 501:047,69@c | "Lower away, 501:047,70@c | Dunn." 501:047,71@w | "Kate, you are not able! If he is hurt?" 501:047,72@c | "You are wasting time. Hush! I am strong enough. Lower 501:047,73@c | away." 501:047,74[A ]| By this time I was at the other handle of the windlass. There 501:047,75[A ]| were stronger hands than mine there, and as willing hearts, but 501:047,76[A ]| no*one said me nay, and I was first. I was rewarded by a 501:047,77[A ]| grateful look from Kate's eyes as her white face disappeared down 501:047,78[A ]| the shaft as Dunn carefully lowered her, while I obeyed orders 501:047,79[A ]| and steadied the windlass. In one hand the girl carried a coil of 501:047,80[A ]| light rope; with the other she gripped the rope to which the big 501:047,81[A ]| bucket was attached. 502:047,01[A ]| There was a moment or two of silent, terrible suspense, and 502:047,02[A ]| then the bucket had grounded, for the strain was removed from 502:047,03[A ]| the windlass. I have often tried to realise my feelings at that 502:047,04[A ]| supreme moment, but I cannot recall them. I only knew that I 502:047,05[A ]| was terribly afraid, though I let no*one know it. You could have 502:047,06[A ]| heard a pin drop at that instant on the subsiding claim. 502:047,07@w | "Kate!" 502:047,07[A ]| Dunn called down the shaft, 502:047,07@w | "how is it?" 502:047,08@c | "Charlie is insensible." 502:047,08[A ]| Then there was a little pause, and then 502:047,09[A ]| Kate's clear voice called out ~~ 502:047,09@c | "Haul up! very carefully." 502:047,10[A ]| Very carefully indeed Dunn and I did as we were bid, and 502:047,11[A ]| soon appeared the limp form of the poor young digger, whom the 502:047,12[A ]| brave girl had managed to attach to the rope in the shaft by a 502:047,13[A ]| line under his armpits, which she had carefully padded with 502:047,14[A ]| her petticoat. There was a subdued cheer, and, forgetting 502:047,15[A ]| self-preservation, half a dozen pair of hands helped to lift Charlie 502:047,16[A ]| out of the shaft and carry him back to the safer ground. 502:047,17@w | "Mate," 502:047,17[A ]| whispered Dunn to me, as he dropped the relieved 502:047,18[A ]| rope into the shaft again, and hurriedly lowered it, 502:047,18@w | "the poor 502:047,19@w | girl is lost! Look back at the ground! Kate! for the love of 502:047,20@w | God do not wait to hook on the bucket ~~ the claim is sinking fast!" 502:047,21[A ]| Ay, it was surely sinking fast ~~ I felt it shuddering under my 502:047,22[A ]| feet, and there was a widening crack within half a dozen feet of 502:047,23[A ]| the shaft. A minute of agony, and then, with a weight on the 502:047,24[A ]| rope, we wound at the windlass ~~ with dropping sweat that was 502:047,25[A ]| not the effects of our work, but of our fear ~~ and then Kate's white 502:047,26[A ]| face was visible, was level with the windlass, was above me, and 502:047,27[A ]| the bucket visible ~~ nay, Kate's foot was on the ground when the 502:047,28[A ]| windlass sank into a yawning space, and someone literally dashed 502:047,29[A ]| me back to safer ground. I fell, and when I rose again I saw Kate 502:047,30[A ]| being dragged from the \9de=bris\, among which some of her garments 502:047,31[A ]| had caught, and there was a ringing cheer that echoed for miles 502:047,32[A ]| along the rough sides of old Ti-Tree, and is to this day remembered 502:047,33[A ]| by those who heard it and live to recall it. 502:047,34[A ]| Charlie was carried into Kate's place not much the worse, but 502:047,35[A ]| stupid and helpless from the effects of a blow on the head, as it 502:047,36[A ]| seemed. As the young fellow afterwards explained, one of the 502:047,37[A ]| props had suddenly slewed and let one end of a cap-piece fall 502:047,38[A ]| upon his head. It was, we knew, the first effect of the sudden 502:047,39[A ]| soakage of water into the claim. 502:047,40[A ]| There was a babel of guesses and comments on the whole thing 502:047,41[A ]| when we once more got into the tent and recouped ourselves with 502:047,42[A ]| strong drinks. Kate was unhurt, and served us, but with a strange 502:047,43[A ]| terror still in her big eyes, and a face as white as chalk. When 502:047,44[A ]| the drinks and talk were exhausted in reason, the men, almost in 502:047,45[A ]| a body, returned to examine the claim. 502:047,46[A ]| By this time some who were not there at the rescue joined us, 502:047,47[A ]| among the rest my chum Ryan, and the man I knew as Dark*Deccatur. 502:047,48[A ]| I was relating the particulars to Ryan, standing on the 502:047,49[A ]| firm side, as near the late shaft as I dared, and Deccatur was not 502:047,50[A ]| far from us. 502:047,51@d | "The devil helps his own," 502:047,51[A ]| this man said, in his usual mocking 502:047,52[A ]| way. 502:047,52@d | "And there was a trooper in it, too," 502:047,52[A ]| he sneered towards 502:047,53[A ]| me. 502:047,53@d | "By heavens! there is always a trooper in it where Kate is!" 502:047,54@a | "The trooper is not always murdered and hidden in a hole, 502:047,55@a | though, Mr%*Dark," 502:047,55[A ]| a fierce impulse urged me to retort; 502:047,55@a | "but 502:047,56@a | sometimes the dead come to light again." 502:047,57[A ]| The man glared at me viciously. 502:047,58@d | "If you have been drinking too much of Kate's hard stuff, my 502:047,59@d | young sprig," 502:047,59[A ]| Deccatur returned with his keen eyes fixed upon 502:047,60[A ]| me insultingly, 502:047,60@d | "you had better take her advice and stick to the 502:047,61@d | soft stuff and sugar. What the devil do you mean about your 502:047,62@d | murdered troopers? You had better let \men\ alone, my pretty greenhorn," 502:047,63[A ]| and, without giving me time for what would most likely 502:047,64[A ]| have been an intemperate reply, Deccatur turned back towards 502:047,65[A ]| Kate's tent. 502:047,66@b | "That is a dangerous, reckless man, I should say; and if I was 502:047,67@b | you I would not get into tongue-wagging with him." 502:047,68[A ]| Ryan gave me this bit of advice just as a few of the men who 502:047,69[A ]| had been examining the subsided claim came back. They stopped 502:047,70[A ]| at the place where the shaft had been, but where now was a 502:047,71[A ]| yawning, ragged hole nearly full of water. 502:047,72@w | "I do not think anyone will ever be able to work that ground 502:047,73@w | again without machinery," 502:047,73[A ]| one digger observed, as he tossed a 502:047,74[A ]| stone into the water; 502:047,74@w | "though the shaft is clear, yet, for that stone 502:047,75@w | has gone straight down. What do you think about the job?" 502:047,76@x | "I think that it \has\ been a job, and if I knew the man that did 502:047,77@x | it I would lynch him with my own hands! The creek has been turned 502:047,78@x | into the claim by some devil on purpose." 502:047,79[A ]| And that seemed to be the general opinion. It was openly 502:047,80[A ]| discussed that night in the Star-spangled Banner, though I could 502:047,81[A ]| not hear that anyone shared my own suspicions of Dark*Deccatur. 501:048,01[A ]| The man, strange to say, in spite of his abrupt and sometimes 501:048,02[A ]| insulting ways, was a sort of favourite with the diggers, who were 501:048,03[A ]| wont to say he was not so bad as he made believe to be; and there 501:048,04[A ]| were many who could tell of a helping hand from Dark*Deccatur 501:048,05[A ]| when they had been in need. 501:048,06[A ]| A very strange confidence was placed in me that night by Kate*Juniper 501:048,07[A ]| ~~ a confidence I was proud of then, and am proud of to 501:048,08[A ]| this day. I purposely went over before the diggers had left off 501:048,09[A ]| work so that I might have a quiet moment to ask her if she felt no 501:048,10[A ]| bad effects from the brave exertion of the morning, and how 501:048,11[A ]| Charlie*Gold was. 501:048,12[A ]| She was sitting at the end of the big table as I entered the tent, 501:048,13[A ]| with her elbow on it, and her dark head resting heavily, I thought, 501:048,14[A ]| against her open palm. Her black dress seemed to have taken, 501:048,15[A ]| somehow, a heavier fold, and there was certainly a despondency 501:048,16[A ]| in her whole attitude, that was repeated in the large, melancholy, 501:048,17[A ]| dark eyes as she lifted them to me; yet she denied that she felt 501:048,18[A ]| any the worse for the morning's work. 501:048,19@c | "No," 501:048,19[A ]| she said, 501:048,19@c | "I am none the worse, and Charlie has gone 501:048,20@c | home almost quite well ~~ thank God for that. I am low-spirited, 501:048,21@c | I grant you, and I know that, although I am safe now, my work 501:048,22@c | in Charlie's claim this morning may cost me my worthless life." 501:048,23@a | "Kate, what do you mean?" 501:048,24@c | "I can not explain yet. I am glad you have come over, for I 501:048,25@c | was thinking how I could manage a few moments with you alone. 501:048,26@c | Percy, I have a trust to confide in you. Can I trust you?" 501:048,27@a | "If you doubt me do not do so." 501:048,28@c | "I do not think I need doubt you," 501:048,28[A ]| and her eyes questioned 501:048,29[A ]| mine eagerly; 501:048,29@c | "you faced death with me to-day at the claim, for 501:048,30@c | you were in quite as much danger as I, though you did not think 501:048,31@c | so. I want to leave a paper in your charge ~~ a sort of last will 501:048,32@c | and testament, maybe," 501:048,32[A ]| and she smiled sadly at me. 501:048,32@c | "I want 501:048,33@c | you to promise me that you will never break the seal until Kate*Juniper 501:048,34@c | is dead. Will you promise me and keep your word?" 501:048,35@a | "Certainly, if it would be the least comfort to you. But what 501:048,36@a | makes you talk of a death that, please heaven, is far away with 501:048,37@a | your old age?" 501:048,38@c | "I cannot tell you; it may be the nearness I felt to it this 501:048,39@c | morning. But, no; it is not that ~~ I am not going to turn 501:048,40@c | hypocrite all at once ~~ I know it is not that, but I have a premonition 501:048,41@c | of death over me like a cloud ever since I saw one man's 501:048,42@c | face on the claim this morning. Do not laugh at me." 501:048,43@a | "Laugh? God forbid! And yet, why should I not laugh? 501:048,44@a | You have only to name the man to me, and by hook or crook 501:048,45@a | I will manage to put him in safe keeping." 501:048,46@c | "Hush! you do not know what you are talking about. You have 501:048,47@c | promised as I wished. Take this before anyone comes in, and put 501:048,48@c | it away where no*one can ever get a chance to see it but yourself. 501:048,49@c | You will remember your promise ~~ you are not to open it while I 501:048,50@c | live?" 501:048,51@a | "I will keep it till I am an old man, Kate." 501:048,52[A ]| I laughed as I hurriedly stowed the letter she gave me away, 501:048,53[A ]| and without waiting to look at it. 501:048,54@c | "God bless you, boy ~~ for you are little else! I do not think you 501:048,55@c | will break your word; and, mind, it would be a cruel thing to do 501:048,56@c | ~~ you would know it when it was too late." 501:048,57@a | "I will not do it, Kate." 501:048,58@c | "I could not trust Charlie, for in his anxiety for me he would 501:048,59@c | promise and then break his word to secure my safety some way. 501:048,60@c | You have more self-control, and you are a policeman besides. 501:048,61@c | Should the necessity arise, it would be your duty to act upon the 501:048,62@c | contents of the communication I have given you." 501:048,63@a | "You may trust me, Kate. I will put it away and try to forget 501:048,64@a | it until you ask me for it again. And, now, will not you tell me what 501:048,65@a | you have a dread of? Is it treachery of some kind?" 501:048,66@c | "I can not tell you; do not ask me." 501:048,67@a | "I am very sorry. But you will not put yourself into any danger 501:048,68@a | that you dread? You will be careful?" 501:048,69@c | "My life is not of much value to me, Percy; but it would be 501:048,70@c | bitter, indeed, to know that my enemy had triumphed over me. 501:048,71@c | Oh, yes, I will be careful." 501:048,72[A ]| We had some further conversation ere I went across to camp 501:048,73[A ]| for Ryan's supper, but at sundown I watched the proud figure 501:048,74[A ]| standing by the flag-pole discharging her revolver, as a signal of 501:048,75[A ]| sundown when the red orb was hidden. It was the last time that 501:048,76[A ]| Kate*Juniper did so. 501:048,77[A ]| And here, for the benefit of those of a younger race who may 501:048,78[A ]| read this, unacquainted with the customs on the long-ago gold 501:048,79[A ]| diggings, let me explain that it was a custom with diggers to 501:048,80[A ]| discharge their firearms and reload them at night ~~ a custom that 501:048,81[A ]| served the double purpose of letting the honest among them 502:048,01[A ]| know that others were armed to defend their gold from night 502:048,02[A ]| prowlers, and of satisfying themselves that the revolvers were in 502:048,03[A ]| proper order, and had not been tampered with, for few diggers 502:048,04[A ]| carried their pistols with them to work. Thus it was that single-handed 502:048,05[A ]| diggers ~~ that is to say, "hatters," seldom camped far 502:048,06[A ]| from store or shanty if they could help it. 502:048,07[A ]| But one man with whom this story has to deal had pitched his 502:048,08[A ]| little tent on the other side of the creek, back of the Star-spangled Banner, 502:048,09[A ]| and in a nook so hidden by rock and undergrowth that 502:048,10[A ]| he might as well have been miles from the habitations of men so 502:048,11[A ]| far as company was concerned. Neither Ryan nor I went over 502:048,12[A ]| the road that night, and we got to bed early, talking, however, as 502:048,13[A ]| was our wont, over the events of the day or the work of to-morrow; 502:048,14[A ]| and it was then I suddenly asked Ryan if he knew where Dark*Deccatur 502:048,15[A ]| lived. 502:048,16@b | "I fell across his place to-day by chance; he is a hatter, and 502:048,17@b | works by himself. You can just see a corner of his tent from the 502:048,18@b | roof of the stable; it is at the other side of the creek, among the 502:048,19@b | trees. What made you ask?" 502:048,20@a | "I do not know; I was thinking of his insulting face." 502:048,21@b | "It is a very handsome face, but I have seen it look very gloomy 502:048,22@b | sometimes. There was a chap telling me to-day that he thought 502:048,23@b | Deccatur was haunted, for he had been passing his tent by 502:048,24@b | accident one night and heard him shouting like a madman. I 502:048,25@b | told him that I had noticed how heavily Deccatur drank, and that 502:048,26@b | I would not wonder if he got a fit of blue devils before he stopped." 502:048,27@a | "There is some mystery about that man," 502:048,27[A ]| I persisted. 502:048,28@b | "There is a mystery about every man," 502:048,28[A ]| Ryan laughed. 502:048,28@b | "What 502:048,29@b | mystery was that I saw you locking up so carefully awhile ago, 502:048,30@b | eh, Butt? A love-letter, was not it? Oh! we all have little 502:048,31@b | mysteries of our own, mate, and they sometimes turn into ghosts 502:048,32@b | to haunt us." 502:048,33@a | "You ought to have been a parson," 502:048,33[A ]| I said, sulkily, as a wind 502:048,34[A ]| up, for I had no idea he had seen me locking Kate's deposit in 502:048,35[A ]| my desk, out of which I determined it should come to-morrow to 502:048,36[A ]| be carried more safely on my person. Alas! alas! that to-morrow 502:048,37[A ]| on Ti-tree! 502:048,38[A ]| It seemed to me that I had only just fallen asleep when I was 502:048,39[A ]| aroused by a knocking at our door, but a glance at the window 502:048,40[A ]| told me that the sun was up. Ryan, too, was awake, and shouted 502:048,41[A ]| out ~~ 502:048,42@b | "What is up? Who is that knocking?" 502:048,43@w | "It is me, constable ~~ Brown, of the "Banner." Will you get 502:048,44@w | up, for God's sake? There is something wrong with Kate." 502:048,45@a | "Something wrong with Kate!" 502:048,45[A ]| I was out of bed and dressed 502:048,46[A ]| in a very short time, and Ryan was quite as prompt. When I 502:048,47[A ]| opened the door the man Brown came in. 502:048,48[A ]| It was the man who, with his wife, were sort of factotums and 502:048,49[A ]| guardians of Kate*Juniper. He looked white and ill, and frightened 502:048,50[A ]| as well. 502:048,51@b | "What is the matter? What is wrong with Kate?" 502:048,52@w | "She has disappeared, Mr%*Ryan, and we are afraid! I am hardly 502:048,53@w | able to stand with the sickness myself, but it is the fright that will 502:048,54@w | kill me." 502:048,55@b | "Can not you speak out and tell us what has happened, man? 502:048,56@b | What are you afraid of?" 502:048,57@w | "Kate has disappeared out of the tent, and is not to be found 502:048,58@w | anywhere; and there is tracks of her feet down to Charlie*Gold's 502:048,59@w | swamped shaft." 502:048,60@b | "Do you mean that she has made away with herself?" 502:048,61@w | "Good gracious, how do I know what has happened!" 502:048,61[A ]| the man 502:048,62[A ]| cried, distractedly. 502:048,62@w | "Will you come over and see the missis?" 502:048,63[A ]| It was Ryan who had questioned the man, for I was too horrified 502:048,64[A ]| to speak. I remembered Kate's words and trust of yesterday, 502:048,65[A ]| and wondered if it could be possible that, after all, she had then 502:048,66[A ]| made up her mind to destroy herself. The horror of an unspeakable 502:048,67[A ]| dread was upon me, but my mate's matter-of-fact common 502:048,68[A ]| sense relieved me. 502:048,69@b | "What would she drown herself for? Nonsense! Go on over, 502:048,70@b | and we will be after you. Drown herself, indeed! Kate*Juniper 502:048,71@b | was no coward! Come on after this fool, Butt." 502:048,72[A ]| We went across and listened to the story of Brown and his wife, 502:048,73[A ]| upon both of whom I could see that Ryan looked with suspicion 502:048,74[A ]| while he listened. Something as follows was what we heard: ~~ 502:048,75[A ]| Kate slept in a small room at the back part of the tent that was 502:048,76[A ]| used as a kitchen, and this room was the only one under the 502:048,77[A ]| scattered roofs of the Star-spangled Banner that had a door with a 502:048,78[A ]| lock and key. Mrs%*Brown had been in the habit of sharing Kate's 502:048,79[A ]| bed, but had not done so on the previous night. 502:048,80@v | "I was undressing to go to bed," 502:048,80[A ]| she explained, 502:048,80@v | "when Brown 502:048,81@v | called me, saying he was bad with cramps, and wanted me to make 501:049,01@v | up the fire and get him something hot. His bed is in the big tent, 501:049,02@v | and I had a bad time with him nearly all night. When I found 501:049,03@v | how it was going to be, I went in to Kate and told her to go to bed 501:049,04@v | and lock the door, for I would not be in again, as Brown was so 501:049,05@v | bad. I thought no more of it when I got up this morning, only 501:049,06@v | wondering she was not out, for poor Kate was always bright and 501:049,07@v | early; and when I went in and saw the room empty, at first I 501:049,08@v | only thought she just be in the bar." 501:049,09@b | "And what made you change your mind?" 501:049,10@v | "The bedclothes were partly dragged off, and one of the pillows 501:049,11@v | was lying in the middle of the floor." 501:049,12@b | "What was she doing when you saw her last?" 501:049,13@v | "She was stretched on the bed with her clothes on, and her 501:049,14@v | arms crossed-like over her head. She only said ~~ ""All right, Ann."" 501:049,15@v | Kate was not a woman to talk, but a great thinker, especially of a 501:049,16@v | night. I have often seen her lie undressed on the bed half the night; 501:049,17@v | and there was a great oppression on her all day yesterday." 501:049,18@b | "We will go to the room," 501:049,18[A ]| said Ryan. And, like a man in a 501:049,19[A ]| nightmare, I followed him. 501:049,20[A ]| We went out to the back of the premises, where was the little 501:049,21[A ]| additional tenement in question ~~ a calico tent, of small dimensions, 501:049,22[A ]| partly slabbed up, and with a light, unpainted wooden door. 501:049,23[A ]| This door was locked at the time we reached it, but Brown said it 501:049,24[A ]| had been unlocked until he fastened it an hour previously. 501:049,25[A ]| There was another entrance to the little place through the kitchen. 501:049,26[A ]| There was something terrible to me in the look of that disordered 501:049,27[A ]| room. It seemed as if in the very pillow lying half-doubled up on 501:049,28[A ]| the floor, and in the blankets half-dragged from the bed, there was 501:049,29[A ]| a certain story of death, and death by violence; and I said so to 501:049,30[A ]| Ryan, who, if he coincided with me, was not disposed to acknowledge 501:049,31[A ]| it. 501:049,32@b | "Look here, Butt!" 501:049,32[A ]| he said, as he went into the kitchen, 501:049,33@b | "what on earth is the use of jumping at the very worst conclusions? 501:049,34@b | There are a dozen ways of accounting for the disorder of 501:049,35@b | that bed. Suppose, now, that we consider one ~~ Charlie*Gold 501:049,36@b | might have been taken worse in the night and sent for her in a 501:049,37@b | hurry. At all events, no*one knows that she has not gone to 501:049,38@b | Castlemaine or England. By gar! you can never lay out to a 501:049,39@b | certainty what any woman will do." 501:049,40@v | "Ah! Mr%*Ryan," 501:049,40[A ]| Mrs%*Brown put in, 501:049,40@v | "no woman would go on 501:049,41@v | a journey without her shoes, at all events. There is nothing of 501:049,42@v | her clothes missing either; I have looked to that." 501:049,43@b | "No shoes? Well, maybe it was boots then?" 501:049,43[A ]| persisted Ryan. 501:049,44@v | "All she has is here except the old slippers she had on lying 501:049,45@v | down last night. She could not go far with them." 501:049,46@w | "She went to the flooded shaft with them. I am as sure of it as 501:049,47@w | if I had seen her doing it!" 501:049,47[A ]| Brown, the husband, cried. 501:049,48@v | "If she did, she never went of her own free will then," 501:049,48[A ]| retorted 501:049,49[A ]| the wife. 501:049,49@v | "Kate was a religious girl, though you might not think 501:049,50@v | it; I knew her better than you, and she was the last one in the 501:049,51@v | world to throw her poor soul in her Maker's face." 501:049,52[A ]| We drifted down to Charlie's claim, Ryan, of course, leading. 501:049,53[A ]| It had fallen in a little more, but without, as it appeared, 501:049,54[A ]| encroaching on the shaft itself, though the approach to it looked 501:049,55[A ]| decidedly dangerous within a radius of a dozen feet, and the traces 501:049,56[A ]| of feet Brown had spoken of were in no place visible, to his great 501:049,57[A ]| discomfiture. 501:049,58@w | "They were there an hour ago as plain as plain. Ask the 501:049,59@w | missis ~~ she saw them; then I guess they were in the dew only, 501:049,60@w | and now the sun is hot on the claim." 501:049,61@b | "If the poor soul is down that shaft, it will be a job to get her out 501:049,62@b | of it; the weight of a couple of men would go far to set the whole 501:049,63@b | claim down. What way was she dressed, Mrs%*Brown?" 501:049,64@v | "She had a black print on, with a bit of a lace collar and a 501:049,65@v | little bunch of grass flowers pinned to it. Poor Kate! she never 501:049,66@v | cared for brooches, though she might have worn dozens of them 501:049,67@v | if she wished; but she was as fond of bits of ""shivery grass"" and 501:049,68@v | the like as a child." 501:049,69[A ]| When Ryan had saddled a horse and ridden away, to satisfy 501:049,70[A ]| himself that Kate*Juniper was not to be heard of in some other 501:049,71[A ]| part of Ti-tree, I left the diggers (who had by this time heard of 501:049,72[A ]| Kate being missing, and were coming by ones and twos and half 501:049,73[A ]| dozens to search and question) and crossed to our camp. I wanted 501:049,74[A ]| an opportunity for quiet consideration as to whether or not the 501:049,75[A ]| time had arrived when I might open the paper Kate had entrusted 501:049,76[A ]| to me. 501:049,77[A ]| I had promised faithfully that I would not do so until I was 501:049,78[A ]| certain of her death, and as yet there was only a suspicion of it. 501:049,79[A ]| Still, there was more than a possibility that harm had come to the 501:049,80[A ]| poor woman, and the contents of that paper might save much 501:049,81[A ]| trouble and speculation by letting us know if she has really 502:049,01[A ]| intended suicide, and how she meant to commit it. On the other 502:049,02[A ]| hand, if Kate should walk to that flag-staff, which I could see 502:049,03[A ]| from the spot on which I stood, and at the usual hour set her 502:049,04[A ]| banner afloat on the evening breeze, how more than silly I should 502:049,05[A ]| feel if I had unnecessarily violated her confidence. 502:049,06[A ]| But as is often the case, my decision was forced. Just as I had 502:049,07[A ]| decided on leaving Kate's deposit unopened, Charlie*Gold hastily 502:049,08[A ]| came across from the claim, and, with his handsome young face 502:049,09[A ]| ghastly white and grief-stricken, he held something in his hand, 502:049,10[A ]| on which the lad's tears were dropping as he dashed his hand 502:049,11[A ]| across his eyes to hide them. 502:049,12@e | "There is no doubt now, Butt," 502:049,12[A ]| he said; 502:049,12@e | "this has floated up 502:049,13@e | in our shaft. Little I thought when Kate saved my life yesterday 502:049,14@e | that she would go back to her own death in it!" 502:049,14[A ]| And Charlie 502:049,15[A ]| was compelled to give way to his grief. 502:049,16[A ]| It was a little bunch of flowering grasses, tied together with a 502:049,17[A ]| scrap of silk, that the young fellow had put into my hand. Without 502:049,18[A ]| a word I went inside, and, taking out Kate's envelope, broke 502:049,19[A ]| the seal, with hands that trembled so much as to oblige me to 502:049,20[A ]| pause a bit ere I attempted to read the words that were before my 502:049,21[A ]| dimmed eyes. 502:049,22[A ]| The communication was all on one sheet of letter paper, and 502:049,23[A ]| was written in the neat, cramped hand of a woman whose practice 502:049,24[A ]| with the pen had been limited. I give it you as she wrote it, 502:049,25[A ]| with the exception of a man's name, which I leave to be told 502:049,26[A ]| later on. There was no date, and no signature but "Kate": ~~ 502:049,27@c | "There is something hanging over me this day that seems like 502:049,28@c | a warning, though it may only be from a sort of fear I have felt 502:049,29@c | ever since I saw that man's face, with murder in his eyes, as I left 502:049,30@c | the shaft where I saved my poor Charlie this morning. He has 502:049,31@c | always been jealous of me. It was through jealousy of me he 502:049,32@c | killed poor young Craven at Eaglehawk. I am telling this now 502:049,33@c | because no*one will see it unless I am dead, and so that he may 502:049,34@c | suffer at last if my death should lie at his door. Jack*Craven 502:049,35@c | came to my hut one day at Stanton's*Run, near Eaglehawk, as 502:049,36@c | he had often done before, poor fellow, with no harm in it, and the 502:049,37@c | man I named was hiding, watching him. I saw poor Craven 502:049,38@c | murdered on my own floor, and I saw him buried in it, 502:049,39@c | where his bones will be found to prove it, and it was Jack*Juniper 502:049,40@c | did it. How could I hang the father of my little son, that was 502:049,41@c | alive then? I could not, and I swore to him to keep the secret, on 502:049,42@c | condition that he never made any claim to me again so long as he 502:049,43@c | lived. I have kept my word, and no man has guessed that it is 502:049,44@c | he; he is well disguised. 502:049,45@c | But lately he has threatened me time and again, because he 502:049,46@c | says there is another man wants killing, and, somehow, I feel I 502:049,47@c | am doomed. But I have sworn that, if he takes my life, I 502:049,48@c | shall have justice when I am dead. Percy*Butt, if I am found 502:049,49@c | dead, search my body well, for in the agony of death itself I 502:049,50@c | will not forget to hold proof of him! If I should have to 502:049,51@c | tear the signs of his crime with my teeth I will hold them till 502:049,52@c | death stiffens my grip on them! You are but a new friend, 502:049,53@c | Percy, but I charge you to avenge me on my murderer if I am 502:049,54@c | murdered. God bless you always, and do not forget to say a prayer 502:049,55@c | sometimes for poor Kate." 502:049,56[A ]| I folded up the document, and put it in my pocket-book carefully. 502:049,57[A ]| It would be necessary to show it to Ryan, but not just yet. 502:049,58[A ]| From the moment I read it I had no doubt that the man 502:049,59[A ]| mentioned in it had murdered poor Kate. I could fancy the scene 502:049,60[A ]| which had left her bedroom in such disorder ~~ the stealthy watch 502:049,61[A ]| and approach of the murderer, and the sudden attack that had left 502:049,62[A ]| such disorder round the bed. He had gripped her by the throat, 502:049,63[A ]| or smothered her with the pillows, and then carried her to the 502:049,64[A ]| shaft. 502:049,65[A ]| Poor Kate! had she time to keep to her determination? 502:049,66[A ]| Should we find on her body some clue to the murderer's personality? 502:049,67[A ]| But revenge, or, rather, justice, was certain without 502:049,68[A ]| that. Kate's written words would doom the villain. 502:049,69[A ]| When I went outside the station again Charlie*Gold had gone, 502:049,70[A ]| and I saw a crowd of men gathered round his claim. A "whip" 502:049,71[A ]| had been rigged, and, as I afterwards discovered, rough grappling 502:049,72[A ]| irons had been fixed up, and by the help of long poles dropped 502:049,73[A ]| into the dangerous shaft. 502:049,74[A ]| Vainly at first. When I got across the men were watching the 502:049,75[A ]| third effort with bated breaths, and it was successful. Poor Kate*Juniper! 502:049,76[A ]| 502:049,77[A ]| She was laid on the big table in the bar, and it was with the 502:049,78[A ]| front of the tent shut down, and the weeping Browns in the 502:049,79[A ]| kitchen, that I handed Ryan Kate's document. The contents 502:049,80[A ]| dumbfounded him, but not for long ~~ he was too practical for that. 502:049,81@b | "If she has kept her word, we will hang that villain as high as 501:050,01@b | Haman!" 501:050,01[A ]| he cried. 501:050,01@b | "Now for a search! Man, get out of this 501:050,02@b | with your white face, for any sake! A pretty policeman you will 501:050,03@b | make for sure." 501:050,04[A ]| I took him at his word, and left the tent and Ryan to his search 501:050,05[A ]| alone, but, for all that, there were long months passed before that 501:050,06[A ]| poor girl's dead face ceased to haunt me by day and by night. I 501:050,07[A ]| had only to shut my eyes and see the white face, the long, dripping, 501:050,08[A ]| unbound, black hair, the white, clenched teeth between the stiff, 501:050,09[A ]| colourless lips, and I can see them all yet when I have a mind to. 501:050,10[A ]| I was not long in the fresh air when Ryan came out and joined 501:050,11[A ]| me. He looked serious but triumphant. 501:050,12@b | "By gar! the poor soul was a brick!" 501:050,12[A ]| he said, with energy, as 501:050,13[A ]| he laid about two inches square of a check patterned cotton 501:050,14[A ]| material on his sleeve. 501:050,14@b | "She has torn it out of the villain's 501:050,15@b | sleeve with her teeth, and closed them on it when she died! Have 501:050,16@b | you seen him to-day at all?" 501:050,17@a | "No." 501:050,18@b | "I did when I was down at the blacksmith's getting the irons." 501:050,19@a | "Did he know? What did he say?" 501:050,20@b | "Know? By gar! I should think he did! He laughed at the 501:050,21@b | idea of Kate being dead, and said it was just like her to start off 501:050,22@b | on a spree to Castlemaine without telling a soul." 501:050,23@a | "The villain!" 501:050,24@b | "You may say that, but he said more. He asked if Constable*Butt 501:050,25@b | had disappeared, too, for Kate had always a weakness for 501:050,26@b | good-looking young bobbies. When he saw what the irons were 501:050,27@b | for he said that the first man that tried that ground had better 501:050,28@b | make his will before he put his foot on it, for there was not a sound 501:050,29@b | spot in Gold's claim." 501:050,30@a | "I dare say he knows best. I have no doubt but that it was he 501:050,31@a | who turned the creek into the ground." 501:050,32@b | "Neither have I." 501:050,33@a | "What had we best do, Ryan?" 501:050,34@b | "I have been thinking. Take your horse and ride out towards 501:050,35@b | Castlemaine; if he is watching, he will think you have gone for the 501:050,36@b | coroner. When you get round the hill, dismount and tie up the 501:050,37@b | nag; then get over the spur to this side of the hill behind his tent. 501:050,38@b | I will go down to his claim and see if he is in it; but if he is not, it is 501:050,39@b | near dinner time, and he may go home. Between the two of us 501:050,40@b | we will surely nab him, unless he takes to the bush." 501:050,41@a | "He will take to no bush, Ryan. He has no idea of Kate's letter, 501:050,42@a | and thinks himself safe from suspicion." 501:050,43@b | "Maybe so; but a murderer's conscience must prophesy sometimes." 501:050,44@b | 501:050,45[A ]| With a few more words of arrangement, Ryan and I parted, and 501:050,46[A ]| in a very short time I was following his intructions so far as to 501:050,47[A ]| be riding on the Castlemaine-road on my well-trained Vino; but, 501:050,48[A ]| instead of quite rounding the spur of the range, I tied the horse 501:050,49[A ]| up in a patch of bush on our side of the hill, and made my way 501:050,50[A ]| back under the ridge and in the shelter of trees and undergrowth 501:050,51[A ]| and rocks. 501:050,52[A ]| More than an hour and a half had elapsed ere I gained a \9coigne*de*vantage\, 501:050,53[A ]| from whence I could see down upon the valley of 501:050,54[A ]| Ti-tree. It was a beautiful, sunny day, with a fresh, cool breeze 501:050,55[A ]| playing, that caught the many-coloured tent flags, and set them 501:050,56[A ]| fluttering fitfully, now and then spreading some bit of bunting 501:050,57[A ]| broad and wide, and anon letting it drop again limply. The scene 501:050,58[A ]| held a terrible sadness for me, and my grief was accentuated when 501:050,59[A ]| I saw that some thoughtful hand had dropped the stars and stripes 501:050,60[A ]| to half-mast before the tent where poor Kate*Juniper lay cold and 501:050,61[A ]| dead. 501:050,62[A ]| As my eyes turned sorrowfully from the sad scene, they were 501:050,63[A ]| caught by the figure of a man who had crossed the creek and was 501:050,64[A ]| making his way up towards me. Many a man was moving tent-ward 501:050,65[A ]| for his noon meal, but I knew this one instantly. It was 501:050,66[A ]| Dark*Deccatur, and he was coming up to his tent, that was within 501:050,67[A ]| a dozen yards of where I was hidden. 501:050,68[A ]| He stopped on the brow of the rise and looked back. Was it at 501:050,69[A ]| the tent where Kate lay, or the shaft she had been drawn from? 501:050,70[A ]| He looked a fine build of a man as he stood there, where I could see 501:050,71[A ]| the strong jaw and the clenched fist; but he was not physically 501:050,72[A ]| strong, after all, or the sweat would not have been dropping from 501:050,73[A ]| his brow on that cool day from the simple exertion of climbing the 501:050,74[A ]| rise to his tent. 501:050,75[A ]| After a moment's pause he turned to the tent, untied the flap, 501:050,76[A ]| and went inside, only to emerge almost instantly with something 501:050,77[A ]| rolled up in his hand ~~ a something that he laid down on the big 501:050,78[A ]| log against which were the ashes of his last fire, where he stooped 501:050,79[A ]| to make another. There were plenty of ready bits of dead leaf 501:050,80[A ]| and branch, and he drew them together ere he set a match to 501:050,81[A ]| them, and piled on more substantial wood ere he slung his billy 502:050,01[A ]| over the ready hook. I was darting towards him as his hand was 502:050,02[A ]| outstretched for what he had left rolled up on the big log, when I 502:050,03[A ]| was anticipated. Ryan came bounding up the rise, and joined 502:050,04[A ]| Dark*Deccatur. 502:050,05@b | "By gar! I am lucky to catch you, Deccatur. I want you on 502:050,06@b | the jury. There is a lot of fellows handy, I know, but there is not 502:050,07@b | many willing to serve. You will not have any objection, will you?" 502:050,08[A ]| The man was startled and frightened, too, by Ryan's sudden 502:050,09[A ]| appearance; but he was no coward, and kept a hard grip on 502:050,10[A ]| himself. 502:050,11@d | "Jury?" 502:050,11[A ]| he asked, with a frown of doubt. 502:050,11@d | "Are you chaffing 502:050,12@d | me, or have you really found Kate dead?" 502:050,13@b | "Yes; in Gold's shaft." 502:050,14@d | "My God!" 502:050,15[A ]| Yes, he could use the awful name, and feign a horrified look, 502:050,16[A ]| while his hand still stretched toward the article on the log, 502:050,17[A ]| towards which I saw well that my mate's sharp eyes were directed; 502:050,18[A ]| and he could pretend his ignorance of detail, and ask for particulars 502:050,19[A ]| as he pushed the thing he was so anxious about into the very 502:050,20[A ]| centre of the blaze. In one second that blaze was scattered far 502:050,21[A ]| and wide, as Ryan's vigorous foot kicked the fire abroad and 502:050,22[A ]| seized the little bundle, scarcely singed. 502:050,23@d | "What the devil do you mean by that?" 502:050,23[A ]| the man roared, 502:050,24[A ]| though a white, ghastly fear blanched his dark face. 502:050,25@b | "I want a shirt badly," 502:050,25[A ]| Ryan replied, as he beckoned to me; 502:050,26@b | "and I could not think of letting you be so extravagant. John*Juniper, 502:050,27@b | I arrest you for the double murder of Constable*Craven 502:050,28@b | and your wife, Kate*Juniper." 502:050,29@d | "The man is mad!" 502:050,29[A ]| he said, in his old sneering way, as he 502:050,30[A ]| looked viciously at Ryan from under his dark brows. 502:050,30@d | "My name 502:050,31@d | is not John*Juniper, and I never had a wife. Give me my shirt, 502:050,32@d | you fool." 502:050,33@b | "You are a cool hand, Juniper, but the game is up. Kate 502:050,34@b | brought back from her watery grave the bit that will fit into \that\ 502:050,35@b | hole," 502:050,35[A ]| and Ryan held up the torn sleeve of the checked shirt. 502:050,36@b | "You should have burned that shirt last night ~~ it is too late 502:050,37@b | now." 502:050,38@d | "Is it?" 502:050,39[A ]| It was well for Ryan that I was so near, or he would certainly 502:050,40[A ]| have swelled the list of the villain's victims. Juniper had him 502:050,41[A ]| down, and his knees were on Ryan's chest, his fierce fingers 502:050,42[A ]| round Ryan's throat, even before I could utter a cry; and I did 502:050,43[A ]| not wait to do it, but flung myself upon the wretch and relieved 502:050,44[A ]| my mate. Even then it was a struggle to overcome him, but at 502:050,45[A ]| last he was securely handcuffed. 502:050,46[A ]| I need not follow the sequel. Many old diggers will remember 502:050,47[A ]| poor Kate*Juniper, though under another name, and the man who 502:050,48[A ]| was hanged at Castlemaine, under another name also. The 502:050,49[A ]| remains of the mounted man Craven, who had been so long 502:050,50[A ]| missing, were found, as Kate had written, under the floor of her 502:050,51[A ]| old hut near Eaglehawk. 502:050,52[A ]| A noteworthy circumstance was that Charlie*Gold joined our 502:050,53[A ]| Force not long after Ti-tree rush was over, and is still in it, and 502:050,54[A ]| the father of a large family. I have often wondered if the fact 502:050,55[A ]| that poor Kate had a weakness for the uniform had not something 502:050,56[A ]| to do with Charlie's choice. 601:164,00@@@@@| 601:164,00[' ]| 601:164,00[' ]| 601:164,00[' ]| 601:164,01[A ]| The feelings with which I recall the Camperton case are not all 601:164,02[A ]| pleasurable. I am afraid I did not display any particular ability 601:164,03[A ]| in it, and I have good reasons for believing that my friends were 601:164,04[A ]| of the same opinion. However, the facts deeply interested the 601:164,05[A ]| public at the time of their occurrence, and I have little doubt that 601:164,06[A ]| they will now interest you. 601:164,07[A ]| It was in '74 that I was regularly upset about a young villain 601:164,08[A ]| named Coglan, who seemed to have set our fellows at defiance. 601:164,09[A ]| He was very young, but had displayed an amount of determination 601:164,10[A ]| and pluck in the career of villainy he had chosen that promised to 601:164,11[A ]| place him at the head of his profession before long, if his course 601:164,12[A ]| was not checked. Already he had served several minor sentences, 601:164,13[A ]| and he was now wanted for what must have been to the young 601:164,14[A ]| scoundrel a most profitable burglary. But he was "wanted" in 601:164,15[A ]| vain. 601:164,16@w | "You have not laid your hand on young Coglan yet?" 601:164,16[A ]| I was 601:164,17[A ]| asked by my superior officer, as I entered the office one morning. 601:164,18@a | "No." 601:164,19@w | "Nor have got any trace of him?" 601:164,20@a | "Not the shadow of one. The young reprobate must be in 601:164,21@a | league with Satan. If the earth had swallowed him up ~~ " 601:164,22@w | "Yes, yes," 601:164,22[A ]| interrupted S***; 601:164,22@w | "he is a clever young scamp. 601:164,23@w | but you will drop on him yet. In the meantime I want you to go 601:164,24@w | over to Shanklin's." 601:164,25@a | "The jewellers. What for?" 601:164,26@w | "They have not explained any more than that it is about some 601:164,27@w | matter connected with Mr%*Camperton's death." 601:164,28@a | "Mr%*Camperton! Is he dead? Do you mean Charles*Camperton, 601:164,29@a | the barrister?" 601:164,30@w | "No other. His death was reported this morning as very 601:164,31@w | sudden; indeed, he was found dead in his chair. But I do not 601:164,32@w | know that there will be any inquiry, as he has been under medical 601:164,33@w | treatment for a long time." 601:164,34@a | "Yes, I have heard that he had heart disease, but I scarcely 601:164,35@a | believed it. He looked in perfect health. Why, he pleaded in 601:164,36@a | Cartwright's case yesterday." 601:164,37@w | "And to-day he is dead. Yes, 601:164,37@z | ""in the midst of life we are in death,"" 601:164,38@w | you know. But you had better go over to Shanklin's at once." 601:164,39[A ]| I obeyed, thinking on the way a good deal about this sudden 601:164,40[A ]| death. No matter how thoughtless a man may be, or how philosophical, 601:164,41[A ]| the sudden death of some*one we know is bound to put 601:164,42[A ]| the awful certainty of our own end plainly before us for at least a 601:164,43[A ]| little time. I had often come in business contact with Mr%*Camperton 601:164,44[A ]| in the courts; and though I was not personally 601:164,45[A ]| intimate with him, I knew more perhaps of his private affairs than 601:164,46[A ]| his closest friends. 601:164,47[A ]| On arriving at Shanklin's glittering place of business I was shown 601:164,48[A ]| into a private room. There is no necessity for a personal description 601:164,49[A ]| of Mr%*Shanklin., for he has little to do with my story. When 601:164,50[A ]| I was seated and the door was closed he explained his business. 601:164,51@b | "I do not know whether I was right in applying to your office or 601:164,52@b | not," 601:164,52[A ]| he said, 601:164,52@b | "but I cannot see my way at all, and you can, at 601:164,53@b | least, give me advice what to do." 601:164,54@a | "Something about the sudden death of Mr%*Camperton, I understand?" 601:164,55@a | 601:164,56@b | "Yes. The fact is that Mr%*Camperton has been for some time 601:164,57@b | a large customer of ours. You have doubtless heard that he is 601:164,58@b | supposed to be the largest private possessor of diamonds in the 601:164,59@b | colony?" 601:164,60@a | "Oh, yes, he has always been fond of exhibiting quite a collection 601:164,61@a | on his person." 601:164,62@b | "Yes, it was a weakness of his. I am afraid it has not been his 601:164,63@b | only one. But I have only to do with my own affair, and I will 601:164,64@b | confine myself to it. We have had for some time a diamond and 601:164,65@b | ruby necklance of great value, made to order for a marriage which 601:164,66@b | was broken off. The article was left on our hands, and we were 601:164,67@b | loth to break it up, the setting and style being especially handsome 601:164,68@b | and unique. Well, Mr%*Charles*Camperton saw this necklace, and 601:164,69@b | indeed, I may confess that my partner and I speculated on the 601:164,70@b | almost certainty of his becoming sooner or later the possessor 601:164,71@b | of it." 601:164,72@a | "Not for his wife's wear!" 601:164,72[A ]| I said, dryly; 601:164,72@a | "Mrs%*Camperton has 601:164,73@a | the credit of being almost ascetic in her tastes." 601:164,74@b | "Not for Mrs%*Camperton; you are correct. It was on the 601:164,75@b | states of another ~~ lady we calculated," 601:164,75[A ]| was the hesitating reply. 602:164,01@a | "I know; go on." 602:164,02@b | "Well, the matter eventuated as we had hoped. Yesterday Mr%*Camperton 602:164,03@b | states his intention of purchasing the necklace if, on a 602:164,04@b | close examination, he found the stones to be all they seemed to be. 602:164,05@b | You know the deceased gentleman was a good judge of precious 602:164,06@b | stone?" 602:164,07@a | "I have heard so." 602:164,08@b | "He was. He required that the necklace should be sent to 602:164,09@b | "Elverloo" yesterday evening, and that they should remain in his 602:164,10@b | possession until this morning, when he would call and give his 602:164,11@b | decided answer." 602:164,12@a | "And you sent the necklace accordingly?" 602:164,13@b | "We sent the necklace accordingly." 602:164,14@a | "And what security had you in the meantime?" 602:164,15[A ]| As I asked this question Mr%*Shanklin's look of anxiety 602:164,16[A ]| deepened. 602:164,17@b | "I am afraid I was to blame," 602:164,17[A ]| he answered gloomily. 602:164,17@b | "My 602:164,18@b | partner thinks so. I have a diamond ring of the late gentleman's 602:164,19@b | that was entrusted to us for a little repair. I gave the young man 602:164,20@b | instructions to take Mr%*Camperton's receipt for the necklace, but 602:164,21@b | failed to give him any strict orders, and the paper he brought me 602:164,22@b | is worthless in the eye of the law." 602:164,23@a | "Am I to understand that you cannot claim the article?" 602:164,24@b | "There is no article to claim. We sent over this morning 602:164,25@b | immediately on hearing that Mr%*Camperton had been found dead 602:164,26@b | in his chair, and we heard of it sooner than we should have done 602:164,27@b | had not my partner resided close to "Elverloo," Mr%*Camperton's 602:164,28@b | villa at K***. It seems that after our young man had delivered 602:164,29@b | the jewels to Mr%*Camperton no*one saw him alive; he must have 602:164,30@b | died in the very chair in which he received our messenger." 602:164,31@a | "And the necklace?" 602:164,32@b | "It has disappeared. No*one has seen it. No*one in the house 602:164,33@b | had even heard of it." 602:164,34@a | "Has inquiry been made of Mrs%*Camperton?" 602:164,35@b | "Yes; in vain." 602:164,36@a | "Have you interviewed M***, the other person you alluded to?" 602:164,37@b | "Goods heavens, no! How dare we? I suppose there is no 602:164,38@b | doubt on the minds of many of the nature of the connection 602:164,39@b | between the ~~ a ~~ lady you name and the dead gentleman; but it 602:164,40@b | would never do for a firm of our standing to suggest that we had 602:164,41@b | a knowledge of this questionable relationship by asking the woman 602:164,42@b | if she had possession of a necklace worth eight hundred pounds, 602:164,43@b | which we delivered to Mr%*Camperton late last evening." 602:164,44@a | "Perhaps you are right. It had better be left in my hands. 602:164,45@a | Will you show me the paper sent you by Mr%*Camperton on 602:164,46@a | receipt of the jewels?" 602:164,47[A ]| From his pocket-book Mr%*Shanklin extracted the paper, and 602:164,48[A ]| handed it to me. It ran simply as follows: ~~ 602:164,49@w | "Elverloo," 17th December, 1874. 602:164,50@w | Dear Sir, ~~ Parcel delivered safely; will call, as arranged, in the 602:164,51@w | morning. In haste, faithfully, 602:164,52@w | C%*CAMPERTON. 602:164,53@a | "And that is all you have for a necklace worth eight hundred 602:164,54@a | pounds?" 602:164,54[A ]| I said as I re-folded and returned the paper. 602:164,55@b | "With the exception of the ring I mentioned, that is all." 602:164,55[A ]| was 602:164,56[A ]| the ruefully given reply. 602:164,56@b | "You will do the best you can for us?" 602:164,57@a | "You may be sure of that." 602:164,58@b | "We shall not be ungrateful. Our loss is worth a heavy reward, 602:164,59@b | and we are going to offer it." 602:164,60@a | "Not until you hear from me again. We do not yet know for 602:164,61@a | certain that the necklace is lost. Do nothing until you see or hear 602:164,62@a | from me again." 602:164,63[A ]| A few more sentences were exchanged, and I left Shanklin's, 602:164,64[A ]| looking at the sparkling stock as I passed the counter cases, and 602:164,65[A ]| thinking queerly about the lost necklace. I went back to my 602:164,66[A ]| chief, got his permission to proceed in my own way, and started by 602:164,67[A ]| rail for K***. 602:164,68[A ]| "Elverloo" was a lovely spot, and as I passed up the gravel walk 602:164,69[A ]| that seemed the most direct way to the back entrace I felt a pang 602:164,70[A ]| of something very like jealousy, such as I had been conscious of 602:164,71[A ]| on more than one similar occasion. I was so fond of nature that 602:164,72[A ]| a blade of green grass was precious in my eyes, and I had not 602:164,73[A ]| time nor opportunity to keep even a stunted geranium on my 602:164,74[A ]| window ledge, while here was a man with a house surrounded by 602:164,75[A ]| the most beautiful of leaves and blossoms, and he craved for 602:164,76[A ]| diamonds! Things in this life are not well adjusted, somehow. 602:164,77[A ]| But it was no longer life we had entirely to deal with. Death held 602:164,78[A ]| solemn sway at Elverloo. I almost fancied that even had I not 602:164,79[A ]| known of the sad trouble I must have recognised it in the strange 602:164,80[A ]| silence that seemed to pervade the air, as I looked upon the closely 602:164,81[A ]| drawn blinds that shut out the sun from the silent house. 601:165,01[A ]| I chose a side entrance, as being less intrusive, and requested 601:165,02[A ]| to see Mr%*Camperton's own man. I had ascertained there was 601:165,03[A ]| such an individual, and felt very anxious to see him. And I am 601:165,04[A ]| sorry to say the suspicions I had formed \before\ I saw him 601:165,05[A ]| very considerably interfered afterwards with my success in gaining 601:165,06[A ]| the reward eventually offered by the jewellers. 601:165,07[A ]| James*Allen was the man's name, and as he ushered me into a 601:165,08[A ]| little waiting-room I saw that he was a decent-looking, quiet-mannered 601:165,09[A ]| man of about thirty-six. 601:165,10[A ]| He was, of course, dressed in the deepest mourning, and he had 601:165,11[A ]| the quiet, almost stealthy tread usual in well-trained servants of 601:165,12[A ]| his class. 601:165,13@c | "Are you from the undertaker?" 601:165,13[A ]| he asked in a hushed tone, 601:165,14[A ]| when he had closed the door. 601:165,15@a | "No," 601:165,15[A ]| I answered; 601:165,15@a | "I belong to the police." 601:165,16[A ]| The reply appeared to startle the man, and he looked at me with 601:165,17[A ]| an evident anxiety. 601:165,18@c | "The doctor gave a certificate," 601:165,18[A ]| he whispered. 601:165,18@c | "I thought 601:165,19@c | there would be no enquiry. The body has been removed and laid 601:165,20@c | out." 601:165,21@a | "I know all that: but there will be an inquiry nevertheless, 601:165,22@a | though not about the death. I have made up my mind to tell you 601:165,23@a | the truth. If you are an honest man, you will do all you can to 601:165,24@a | help me. The house is at this present moment under police supervision, 601:165,25@a | and not a soul shall leave it until it has been searched from 601:165,26@a | garret to basement." 601:165,27@c | "It is about that necklace, I suppose?" 601:165,28@a | "You know of it, then?" 601:165,29@c | "Of course; it was I who admitted Mr%*Shanklin's young man 601:165,30@c | to my master's presence last night, and it was I who answered all 601:165,31@c | inquiries this morning." 601:165,32@a | "Do any other members of the household know of the loss?" 601:165,33@c | "Only Mrs%*Camperton, as far as I am aware. Mrs%*Camperton 601:165,34@c | gave me strict orders not to speak of it in the house." 601:165,35@a | "Well, I am Detective*Sinclair, and it will be necessary to 601:165,36@a | speak of it to me. I want you to give me full particulars of what 601:165,37@a | occurred here last evening, and I should like you to do so in the 601:165,38@a | the room where Mr%*Camperton received the messenger from 601:165,39@a | Shanklin's, the jeweller. I suppose there will be no difficulty in 601:165,40@a | that?" 601:165,41@c | "No; the body has been removed to Mr%*Camperton's own 601:165,42@c | chamber. The study is in disorder, as I could not induce one of 601:165,43@c | the women to go into it, and it is shut up." 601:165,44@a | "Lead the way." 601:165,45[A ]| I followed Allen across the hall and into the vestibule. The 601:165,46[A ]| key was in the lock of a door on the right. The man turned it 601:165,47[A ]| and pushed the door open. The curtains were drawn, and the 601:165,48[A ]| venetians down, save only at one end French window, the leaves 601:165,49[A ]| of which stood wide open. The breeze, perfumed by sweet garden 601:165,50[A ]| blossoms, stole softly in through this window, which was also a 601:165,51[A ]| door, and the lace drapery waved gently to and fro. 601:165,52[A ]| Though this apartment was called the study, there was not a 601:165,53[A ]| book visible in it. A large writing-table occupied the centre of it, 601:165,54[A ]| and there were portraits in oil on the toned walls. The furniture 601:165,55[A ]| was in maroon morocco ~~ a couch, four chairs, and two arm-chairs. 601:165,56[A ]| One of the latter stood away near the table, opposite the hearth. 601:165,57[A ]| Over the mantel-piece hung a portrait of the dead man, and it was 601:165,58[A ]| such a speaking likeness, that it gave me something of a shock to 601:165,59[A ]| think of the pictured eyes keeping watch all night on the silent 601:165,60[A ]| figure of the original, whose eyes were closed for*ever. 601:165,61[A ]| There were two other windows in the room, but the venetians 601:165,62[A ]| were closed over both; I drew them up with my own hands. 601:165,63[A ]| There was also another door besides the one by which I had 601:165,64[A ]| entered ~~ it was in the wall, behind the arm-chair I have alluded to, 601:165,65[A ]| and was closed. 601:165,66@a | "Now," 601:165,66[A ]| said I, as I sat down on the couch, with my face 601:165,67[A ]| towards the table, 601:165,67@a | "will you tell me exactly all you know about 601:165,68@a | this affair? Did you see the messenger from Shanklin's last 601:165,69@a | night?" 601:165,70@c | "Yes, my master had given me instructions about him. I was 601:165,71@c | to admit him instantly when he came, and I did so." 601:165,72@a | "Did the young man carry a parcel?" 601:165,73@c | "Not visibly, but as I was leaving the room, after admitting 601:165,74@c | him, I saw him put his hand to his breast pocket, as if to take 601:165,75@c | something out." 601:165,76@a | "Go on, please." 601:165,77@c | "In a very short time Mr%*Camperton's bell rang, and I 601:165,78@c | answered it. I was required to show the young man out. I saw 601:165,79@c | no more of him until he came this morning to inquire about the 601:165,80@c | safety of a valuable necklace of rubies and diamonds. I had 601:165,81@c | scarcely closed the front door behind him last night, when Mr%*Camperton's 602:165,01@c | bell rang again, and I came to this room once more. 602:165,02@c | My master told me I need not sit up any longer, as he should require 602:165,03@c | no further attendance. He added a desire to be called half 602:165,04@c | an hour earlier than usual on the following morning." 602:165,05@a | "You did not observe any trace of jewellery on that occasion?" 602:165,06@c | "No; but it might have been on the table without my seeing it. 602:165,07@c | The newspaper that is now lying on the hearthrug was spread on 602:165,08@c | the table in front of my master." 602:165,09@a | "Did you retire then?" 602:165,10@c | "Yes, to my room. I knew my master's habits, and was certain 602:165,11@c | he would not wish to see me again." 602:165,12@a | "About what time was that?" 602:165,13@c | "Close on ten." 602:165,14@a | "It was the last time Mr%*Camperton was seen alive, I understand?" 602:165,15@a | 602:165,16@c | "By anyone in this house, yes." 602:165,17@a | "What do you mean by that? Is it likely that your late master 602:165,18@a | would be seen by anyone \out\ of the house after the time you 602:165,19@a | mention?" 602:165,20@c | "I cannot say. I was Mr%*Camperton's confidential servant. 602:165,21@c | No*one of the household but myself was admitted at any time into 602:165,22@c | this apartment. It is not for me to say more than this. I could 602:165,23@c | not, even in a court." 602:165,24@a | "In a court you would most likely be asked if your master was 602:165,25@a | in the habit of receiving visitors late at night, say by that window." 602:165,26[A ]| and I pointed to the one which opened to the garden. 602:165,26@a | "What 602:165,27@a | answer should you give?" 602:165,28@c | "I will consider my reply when I am in the court." 602:165,29@a | "You are cautious, and I do not know that you are to be blamed 602:165,30@a | under the circumstances. But will you be good enough to tell me 602:165,31@a | what happened this morning?" 602:165,32@c | "I tapped at Mr%*Camperton's door at the time he had ordered 602:165,33@c | me to do so. It was half-past six. Mr%*Camperton was not a late 602:165,34@c | riser. He had his bath and his walk in the garden always before 602:165,35@c | breakfast. Not receiving any reply, I tried the handle of the door, 602:165,36@c | and found it open. It had sometimes happened that my master had 602:165,37@c | gone to sleep again after having opened the door for my usual 602:165,38@c | entrance, and I concluded it had so happened this morning; but 602:165,39@c | on my entrance I found the bed had not been slept in." 602:165,40@a | "And you became alarmed?" 602:165,41@c | "Not at all. I concluded that Mr%*Camperton had left the house 602:165,42@c | after I had been dismissed last night." 602:165,43@a | "Such a thing having occurred before?" 602:165,44@c | "Such a thing having occurred before. I came immediately 602:165,45@c | into this room for the purpose of arranging it ~~ as was my morning 602:165,46@c | duty ~~ and I found my master dead in that chair." 602:165,47@a | "How did you gain admittance?" 602:165,48@c | "By that window, which was open ~~ just as you see it." 602:165,49@a | "Ah! the door was locked, then? I mean that door by which 602:165,50@a | we now entered from the hall?" 602:165,51@c | "Yes, that door was locked on the inside, and the key was in 602:165,52@c | the door." 602:165,53@a | "Stop for a moment. Where does \that\ door lead to?" 602:165,53[A ]| and I 602:165,54[A ]| pointed to the one behind the armchair. 602:165,55@c | "That door has been nailed up for a considerable time. It 602:165,56@c | opened into Mrs%*Camperton's own sitting-room. If you examined 602:165,57@c | it you will find that a plate has been put over the lock. There 602:165,58@c | was no possibility of gaining entrance except from the garden 602:165,59@c | through that window, which has, as you may see, a strong double 602:165,60@c | bolt on the inside." 602:165,61@a | "I see. Now tell me in what position you found the body?" 602:165,62@c | "In one quite natural. Mr%*Camperton was lying back in the 602:165,63@c | chair, with his right hand on one arm, and his left hanging by his 602:165,64@c | side. I noticed that the left hand looked as if it might have 602:165,65@c | dropped something, and was trying to grope for it, but there was 602:165,66@c | nothing on the floor. The doctors said he had been dead for 602:165,67@c | hours, and our own medical man ~~ Dr%*Saintly ~~ told me personally 602:165,68@c | that he had been anticipating a sudden termination to my master's 602:165,69@c | life for some weeks." 602:165,70@a | "You made some search for the necklet this morning, I believe?" 602:165,71@c | "I searched this room. There was no use searching any other, 602:165,72@c | as I am certain my master never left this after I saw him last 602:165,73@c | night." 602:165,74@a | "Why are you so certain?" 602:165,75[A ]| The man looked uneasy, and made me no immediate reply. 602:165,76@a | "I would not hide anything, if I were you," 602:165,76[A ]| I said to him. 602:165,77@a | "This may be a very serious matter to you personally. The fact 602:165,78@a | of your being so entirely in your master's confidence is calculated 602:165,79@a | to throw suspicion on you about this lost necklace. Do you know 602:165,80@a | of what value it was?" 602:165,81@c | "No, I do not." 601:166,01@a | "Mr%*Shanklin values it at eight hundred pounds. Do you 601:166,02@a | think they will not use every endeavour to trace the thief?" 601:166,03@c | "Eight hundred pounds!" 601:166,03[A ]| he cried, as if in horror. 601:166,03@c | "Are you 601:166,04@c | saying that \I\ may be suspected? I have kept my master's secrets, 601:166,05@c | but I am no thief!" 601:166,06@a | "There is no necessity to keep secrets that may compromise you 601:166,07@a | now that he is dead. Be advised by me, and tell me why you are 601:166,08@a | so sure that Mr%*Camperton did not go out last night?" 601:166,09@c | "Because he had a visitor. He might have accompanied that 601:166,10@c | visitor to the garden-gate, but he would not go out after that 601:166,11@c | visitor had been here. I know his habits." 601:166,12@a | "But you have another reason," 601:166,12[A ]| I hinted, as the man again 601:166,13[A ]| hesitated. 601:166,14@c | "I have; I found this on the couch you are sitting on." 601:166,15[A ]| I reached out my hand for the article he handed me from his 601:166,16[A ]| pocket. It was a fine cambric handkerchief, with some prettily 601:166,17[A ]| embroidered initials in one corner. A delicate perfume emanated 601:166,18[A ]| from it, as I shook it out to examine the initials ere I folded it 601:166,19[A ]| carefully and put it in my pocket. 601:166,20@c | "You do not ask whose handkerchief it is?" 601:166,20[A ]| he said, 601:166,21[A ]| quickly. 601:166,22@a | "Because I recognise the initials," 601:166,22[A ]| I answered, 601:166,22@a | "and I know 601:166,23@a | where to lay my hands on the fair lady at any time. The secrets 601:166,24@a | you alluded to a little ago are only so in name, I think; all Melbourne 601:166,25@a | has gossipped over them." 601:166,26@c | "It may be so, but there is one suspicion you are harbouring 601:166,27@c | which I should like to divest your mind of. Whatever my master 601:166,28@c | wanted with that necklace it was not to give it to \her\. I know 601:166,29@c | that Mrs%*Camperton blamed him for extravagance in connection 601:166,30@c | with his sins but of that he was not guilty as far as \she\ was concerned. 601:166,31@c | Mr%*Camperton no more purchased that necklace to \give\ 601:166,32@c | \away\ than I did. I know his character better than that." 601:166,33[A ]| I was not going to discuss the question with the man. I had 601:166,34[A ]| something else in view. 601:166,35@a | "Has Mrs%*Camperton been seen this morning?" 601:166,35[A ]| I asked. 601:166,36@c | "Oh, yes! She has superintended all the necessary arrangements 601:166,37@c | with a calmness for which I envied her. She has made 601:166,38@c | no parade of sorrow. Mrs%*Camperton is a sensible woman in 601:166,39@c | some ways." 601:166,40@a | "I am glad to hear that she is in this instance for I wish much 601:166,41@a | to see her. It would be impossible for me to set our men to work 601:166,42@a | in a full search without acquainting her with the necessity of doing 601:166,43@a | so. Be good enough to intimate that Detective*Sinclair would be 601:166,44@a | glad of an interview if Mrs%*Camperton feels equal to it." 601:166,45[A ]| In a few minutes I was face to face with Mrs%*Camperton 601:166,46[A ]| herself, and, I think, for the first time. It is rarely that our men 601:166,47[A ]| are unacquainted with the appearance of professional men's wives, 601:166,48[A ]| especially the wives of those who are successful and apparently 601:166,49[A ]| wealthy; but Mrs%*Camperton did not mingle with society in any 601:166,50[A ]| shape or form, a fact which I need not enlarge on previous to 601:166,51[A ]| recording an interview in which she explains it herself. 601:166,52[A ]| The widow received me in her own sitting-room, the very room 601:166,53[A ]| into which her husband's study had opened ere the door of communication 601:166,54[A ]| was fastened up. I looked at her with deep interest 601:166,55[A ]| as the door closed behind me, and she requested me to advance 601:166,56[A ]| and be seated. She was a woman of, I dare say, forty ~~ some five 601:166,57[A ]| years younger than Camperton ~~ and she was attired in deep 601:166,58[A ]| mourning already, though not in the conventional widow's 601:166,59[A ]| robes. 601:166,60[A ]| Mrs%*Camperton was not handsome, though she might have 601:166,61[A ]| been attractive in her young days. Her features were sharp now, 601:166,62[A ]| and there was a hard, determined look round her mouth. She was 601:166,63[A ]| pale as ashes, and the dark hair, plainly dressed, was a little 601:166,64[A ]| tinged with grey. Her figure was good, and her manner stately. 601:166,65@a | "I am sorry to intrude on you at such a moment," 601:166,65[A ]| I said, 601:166,66@a | "but my duty ~~ " 601:166,67@d | "\Is\ your duty," 601:166,67[A ]| she interrupted, 601:166,67@d | "and must be done. I am 601:166,68@d | not posing as a heart-broken mourner. You wish to speak about 601:166,69@d | the Messrs%*Shanklin's loss?" 601:166,70@a | "Yes; and to intimate to you that Mr%*Shanklin has placed the 601:166,71@a | matter in my hands. It will be necessary for us to make a 601:166,72@a | thorough search of the house." 601:166,73@d | "You have my full permission to do so. Make as perfect a 601:166,74@d | search as you please; it will interefere with me in no way. I only 601:166,75@d | hope that in some way you may be successful, so as to prevent a 601:166,76@d | respectable firm from suffering so heavy a misfortune." 601:166,77[A ]| She sat with her white hands crossed on her lap, and her eyes 601:166,78[A ]| fixed on the floor as she spoke; and it was only when I questioned 601:166,79[A ]| her that she lifted them, and stared wonderingly at me. The eyes 601:166,80[A ]| were blue and faded-looking, but they were quite capable of a 601:166,81[A ]| steady gaze that was rather embarrassing. 602:166,01@a | "You cannot, of course, throw the slightest light on the 602:166,02@a | mysterious loss, Mrs%*Camperton?" 602:166,03@d | "I do not suppose that you have entered this apartment to 602:166,04@d | mock me. It is no secret to the world, sir, that \I\ was not in my 602:166,05@d | husband's confidence. I have lived under the same roof with him, 602:166,06@d | but from the moment my eyes were opened I have not even eaten 602:166,07@d | his bread. If you want to know what has become of Mr%*Shanklin's 602:166,08@d | jewellery, ask James*Allen, his servant. Mr%*Camperton had not 602:166,09@d | a secret from the creature." 602:166,10@a | "I am truly sorry to bring such unpleasant subjects before you, 602:166,11@a | madam, but the loss is a very serious one to Mr%*Shanklin, and the 602:166,12@a | paper he received from Mr%*Camperton as a receipt is not 602:166,13@a | worded sufficiently plain to warrant his making a claim on the 602:166,14@a | estate." 602:166,15@d | "There is \no\ estate," 602:166,15[A ]| she said, calmly. 602:166,15@d | "If Mr%*Shanklin had 602:166,16@d | the most carefully-worded document that was ever signed, it would 602:166,17@d | be valueless to him so far as his chance of compensation was 602:166,18@d | concerned. You look surprised, but you will find that there is \no\ 602:166,19@d | estate. The public have given Charles*Camperton the credit of 602:166,20@d | being the wealthiest jewel \9connoisseur\ in Melbourne. The public 602:166,21@d | are mistaken. I do not wish to speak ill of the dead, and I never 602:166,22@d | condescended to complain to the living, but Charles*Camperton has 602:166,23@d | been for years a living lie. His property is mortgaged to its full 602:166,24@d | value, his diamonds have turned to paste. It is fortunate for me 602:166,25@d | that I have some modest means of my own, for my late husband's 602:166,26@d | \estate\ will not pay his servants' wages." 602:166,27[A ]| I was stunned, not so much at the announcement as at the 602:166,28[A ]| woman's calm way of making it. If she had been speaking of 602:166,29[A ]| someone's affairs which did not in the slightest affect her own 602:166,30[A ]| she could not have shown less concern. Perhaps she guessed 602:166,31[A ]| my thoughts, for she went on ~~ 602:166,32@d | "This may seen strange to you, sir; I mean my way of 602:166,33@d | announcing an insolvency which must affect my future, but you 602:166,34@d | must consider that I have long been prepared for this blow, and 602:166,35@d | have nerved myself to meet it. I was aware of the doctor's opinion 602:166,36@d | on the state of my husband's health ~~ more fully aware of it, indeed, 602:166,37@d | than he was himself, and I knew the poverty that was before me. 602:166,38@d | I have lived almost the life of a hermit that I might not occupy a 602:166,39@d | false position in the world. My wardrobe, at this present time, is 602:166,40@d | barer than that of a servant, but it is at least paid for. May I beg 602:166,41@d | of you now, sir, to leave me. You have my full permission to do 602:166,42@d | your duty in a search; make it a perfect one. When you wish to 602:166,43@d | search \my\ apartments, I shall afford you the opportunity by 602:166,44@d | taking the air in the garden. It may do me good." 602:166,45[A ]| Surely this was the strangest woman. But, after all, I could feel 602:166,46[A ]| for and sympathise with her. Knowing her comparatively hidden 602:166,47[A ]| life as I did, I pitied the humiliations she must have suffered 602:166,48[A ]| as a wife, nor could I blame her that her heart had grown 602:166,49[A ]| callous. 602:166,50[A ]| Our search of the house and grounds was perfect, and fruitless. 602:166,51[A ]| The dead master of "Elverloo" was buried with great state and 602:166,52[A ]| pomp, our highest legal dignitaries bearing the pall. There were 602:166,53[A ]| whispers of Camperton's unsatisfactory position, of course; but 602:166,54[A ]| until he was laid away for*ever, and his affairs exposed to 602:166,55[A ]| comment, not even his most intimate friends had the most distant 602:166,56[A ]| conception of the hollow ground the man had stood on when he 602:166,57[A ]| died. Then the truth of his wife's words became patent ~~ the 602:166,58[A ]| estate of Charles*Camperton did not pay a penny in the pound. 602:166,59[A ]| I have purposely dealt with the funeral before relating what took 602:166,60[A ]| place at an interview I had with the person whose handkerchief I 602:166,61[A ]| had received from James*Allen. 602:166,62[A ]| When Mr%*Camperton was alive, and was acknowledged by the 602:166,63[A ]| world as a wealthy man, and the largest private diamond owner 602:166,64[A ]| in the colony, society bowed down to him and worshiped him, 602:166,65[A ]| totally ignoring the impurity of his hidden life. When Mr%*Camperton 602:166,66[A ]| was dead and his diamonds were discovered to be 602:166,67[A ]| paste, society was shocked at the manner in which he had lived, 602:166,68[A ]| and more especially at the manner in which he had wasted his 602:166,69[A ]| substance. 602:166,70[A ]| I went straight to the residence of Miss*D***, when the search 602:166,71[A ]| at "Elverloo" had fairly commenced. Knowing the habits of these 602:166,72[A ]| people, as all detectives must do in the way of business, I had great 602:166,73[A ]| hopes of catching Miss*D*** before the tidings of Mr%*Camperton's 602:166,74[A ]| sudden decease had reached her. I do not know that I suspected 602:166,75[A ]| her of having the lost necklace exactly, for I did not think the 602:166,76[A ]| lawyer had ever been fool enough to bestow on a woman of 602:166,77[A ]| her class such a valuable gift, but I had some hopes that she could 602:166,78[A ]| put me on its track if she wished; and in the surprise of the news 602:166,79[A ]| which I hoped to be the first to communicate, I thought it more 602:166,80[A ]| than possible she might let slip a word or name that might help to 602:166,81[A ]| put Shanklin's already offered reward in my pocket. 601:167,01[A ]| It will be quite unnecessary to say more about Miss*D***'s 601:167,02[A ]| \9locale\ than that she occupied a pretty cottage in one of the suburbs, 601:167,03[A ]| and was surrounded by every luxury that money (or credit) could 601:167,04[A ]| command. What I hoped for proved to be the case ~~ Miss*D*** 601:167,05[A ]| had not left her chamber on my late arrival at her residence. 601:167,06[A ]| I will do her the credit to acknowledge that she did not keep me 601:167,07[A ]| long waiting; her curiosity doubtless stimulated her movements in 601:167,08[A ]| dressing. I had not given my name to the servant, nor was I 601:167,09[A ]| certain that the woman was acquainted with my appearance, but 601:167,10[A ]| the moment she entered the room, I saw that she recognised me. 601:167,11[A ]| Nor did the knowledge that I was a detective and in her house 601:167,12[A ]| seem at all to take her aback. She was attractive looking and 601:167,13[A ]| dressed to kill, and she knew it; and she showed all her lovely 601:167,14[A ]| white teeth as she deposited herself in a low, soft chair, and ruffled 601:167,15[A ]| the lace about her wide sleeves, so as to display the white, plump 601:167,16[A ]| arm to the best advantage. 601:167,17[A ]| I do not know that it is worth while to describe her. She was a 601:167,18[A ]| woman of twenty-six or seven, and had learned all the cunning of 601:167,19[A ]| her class. There was not an aid to the toilet, that D*** did not 601:167,20[A ]| comprehend the use of, and the proper occasion to use it to her 601:167,21[A ]| own advantage. She literally followed the command to be 601:167,21@z | "all 601:167,22@z | things to all men that ye may win some." 601:167,22[A ]| She was an innocent, 601:167,23[A ]| simply-robed girl, or a fashionable woman of the world, according 601:167,24[A ]| to the quarry she had in view, but at all times and in all \roles\ she 601:167,25[A ]| was a fiend at heart. 601:167,26@e | "I do declare!" 601:167,26[A ]| she laughed. 601:167,26@e | "If this is not a surprise! Detective*Sinclair 601:167,27@e | by all that is wonderful! Oh, I say! Have I, by any 601:167,28@e | unwitting chance, got into trouble?" 601:167,29@a | "It would not be the first, would it?" 601:167,29[A ]| I asked, as I fixed a cold 601:167,30[A ]| gaze on her, 601:167,30@a | "but, in this instance, I do not think you have got 601:167,31@a | into trouble, as you mean the term. I came to bring you some 601:167,32@a | news, and to ask you a few questions." 601:167,33@e | "The news first, by all means, Mr%*Sinclair! I love news, and 601:167,34@e | I hate questions!" 601:167,35@a | "It is bad news," 601:167,35[A ]| I said, seriously. 601:167,36@e | "Oh, then, it is about money! No news is bad news, unless its 601:167,37@e | takes money out of one's pocket! Get it over, my dear fellow! 601:167,38@e | What is the news?" 601:167,39[A ]| I looked at her silently for a moment before replying, from the 601:167,40[A ]| glossy dark hair piled up on her head to the satin embroidered 601:167,41[A ]| slipper peeping from under the hem of her handsome Oriental 601:167,42[A ]| dressing-gown. I think I was speculating on the possibility of the 601:167,43[A ]| creature having any feeling left, until I recalled the fact that if 601:167,44[A ]| she had she would not be what she was. 601:167,45@a | "You were intimately acquainted with Mr%*Camperton?" 601:167,45[A ]| I 601:167,46[A ]| asked. 601:167,47@e | "Ye-e-s," 601:167,47[A ]| was the hesitating reply, given me with drooped eyes 601:167,48[A ]| and a half smile. 601:167,49@a | "And I know you will be surprised to hear that he is dead." 601:167,50@e | "Dead!" 601:167,51[A ]| There could be no doubt of the shock; the woman bounded from 601:167,52[A ]| her seat as if she had been electrified, and fell back again with a 601:167,53[A ]| cry that seemed to me as much expressive of a fierce anger as of 601:167,54[A ]| surprise. 601:167,55@e | "You are having a lark at my expense!" 601:167,55[A ]| she cried coarsely and 601:167,56[A ]| with flashing eyes; 601:167,56@e | "but you had better not, Mr%*D. I am not a 601:167,57@e | woman to be insulted or made a fool of in my own house, I 601:167,58@e | assure you!" 601:167,59@a | "I am doing neither. I am simply telling you the unpleasant 601:167,60@a | truth. Mr%*Camperton is dead." 601:167,61@e | "Oh, horrible! I can not believe it! Surely it is not possible! 601:167,62@e | Do not stare at me in that aggravating manner, but explain to me 601:167,63@e | if it is true. When did he die? Oh, it is not possible!" 601:167,64@a | "You think so because you have so lately seen him alive. 601:167,65@a | When did he die? It must have been very shortly after you left 601:167,66@a | him last night. As far as we know at present, you are the last 601:167,67@a | person that looked upon the living face of Charles*Camperton." 601:167,68[A ]| Her face had grown paler and paler with every word of mine, 601:167,69[A ]| and she sat staring at me with terrified eyes. No matter whether 601:167,70[A ]| we acknowledge it or not there is not one of us that does not 601:167,71[A ]| shrink at the knowledge that death must one day be our master; 601:167,72[A ]| but, of all classes, the one to which this woman belonged has the 601:167,73[A ]| greatest dread and horror of death ~~ and can we wonder that it 601:167,74[A ]| is so? 601:167,75[A ]| When I displayed my knowledge of her presence at "Elverloo", 601:167,76[A ]| however, the fear of personal consequences to herself restored the 601:167,77[A ]| selfish being instantly. 601:167,78@a | "You are very clever at guessing, but even Mr%*Sinclair may 601:167,79@a | overreach himself. It is a case of ""give a dog a bad name,"" &c% 601:167,80@a | I was not in Mr%*Camperton's company last night." 601:167,81@e | "You were, and I can prove it." 602:167,01@e | "How?" 602:167,02[A ]| I took from my pocket, and held up before her by two of its 602:167,03[A ]| corners, the handkerchief with her well-known initials marked on 602:167,04[A ]| it; her mood changed instantly, and she laughed harshly: 602:167,05@e | "Bowled out. Where did you get it?" 602:167,06@a | "From James*Allen, Mr%*Camperton's confidential servant." 602:167,07@e | "Yes, too confidential by half. Well, give my my \9mouchoir\; 602:167,08@e | it is too good a one for a poor soul like me to lose, and tell me at 602:167,09@e | once what you want. You did not come here just to break the sad 602:167,10@e | news to me, \I\ know." 602:167,11@a | "No, I did not; I came to see if you knew anything of a 602:167,12@a | valuable necklace which Mr%*Camperton had in his possession last 602:167,13@a | night, but which had disappeared by the time he was discovered 602:167,14@a | dead in his chair this morning." 602:167,15@e | "A valuable necklace?" 602:167,16@a | "Yes, one of diamonds and rubies, worth eight hundred 602:167,17@a | pounds." 602:167,18[A ]| Looking closely at every change in the woman's face as I told 602:167,19[A ]| her of the necklace, I felt quite certain that she knew nothing 602:167,20[A ]| whatever of it; the surprise, the disappointed cupidity, the 602:167,21[A ]| disgusted and selfish anger that succeeded each other in her face, 602:167,22[A ]| were not simulated, but thoroughly genuine. 602:167,23@e | "Do you mean to tell me that Camperton had in his possession 602:167,24@e | last night, when I was at his place, a necklace worth eight 602:167,25@e | hundred pounds?" 602:167,25[A ]| she asked. 602:167,26@a | "I do not know about it being in the room with him when you 602:167,27@a | were there, but it was delivered to him by a messenger from 602:167,28@a | Shanklin, the jeweller, after nine o'clock." 602:167,29@e | "It is no wonder the wretch died!" 602:167,29[A ]| was the heartless rejoinder; 602:167,30@e | "he was too mean to live. I went last night to beg a loan of 602:167,31@e | him, and he told me he had not a pound to his name. No, I 602:167,32@e | know nothing of the mean wretch's necklace; and now, Mr%*Sinclair, 602:167,33@e | if that is all you want of me I would be obliged to you to go." 602:167,34[A ]| I was convinced that she would be no help to me in tracing the 602:167,35[A ]| lost necklace, and I was glad to get out of the sickly scent-laden 602:167,36[A ]| atmosphere of the place and breathe the fresh air once more. 602:167,37[A ]| One day in the following week was an eventful one to me in 602:167,38[A ]| connection with this case. The funeral had taken place, in the 602:167,39[A ]| pompous style I have mentioned before, and the dead man's unfortunate 602:167,40[A ]| creditors were soon informed of the position of his affairs. 602:167,41[A ]| The widow's stolid resignation was admired by the very few who 602:167,42[A ]| saw her, for in the examination of Mr%*Camperton's business 602:167,43[A ]| matters it was discovered that he had actually managed to make 602:167,44[A ]| away with the principal of the small income that the poor lady had 602:167,45[A ]| fancied her own. 602:167,46[A ]| We could not get a trace of the lost necklace. Not an effort had 602:167,47[A ]| been spared, but everything that had been done seemed to have 602:167,48[A ]| been done in vain. Shanklin*and*Co% had increased the reward. 602:167,49[A ]| They were willing to forfeit three hundred pounds for the recovery 602:167,50[A ]| of their lost property. Every pawnbroker in the colonies was on 602:167,51[A ]| the look-out for unset jewels being offered in pledges, no*one 602:167,52[A ]| dreaming that an attempt to get rid of the necklace in the shape 602:167,53[A ]| in which it had left the jeweller's would be ventured on. 602:167,54[A ]| On Wednesday, at our usual hour of reporting at the office ~~ viz%, 602:167,55[A ]| between one and two o'clock p%*m%, a man was waiting for me in 602:167,56[A ]| the outer office. I was surprised to see James*Allen. He was a 602:167,57[A ]| very gentlemanly-looking, and indeed, I may add, a very prepossessing 602:167,58[A ]| fellow, in his perfect and gentlemanly-looking mourning 602:167,59[A ]| attire. He did not give me time to wonder what he wanted of me, 602:167,60[A ]| but spoke to the point at once: 602:167,61@c | "I am about to leave Melbourne," 602:167,61[A ]| he said. 602:167,61@c | "I have been 602:167,62@c | offered a good situation by one of my late master's friends, and I 602:167,63@c | have accepted it. Before I go I have decided to give you some 602:167,64@c | information that I have hitherto withheld. Will you come out 602:167,65@c | and walk a little way up the street with me?" 602:167,66[A ]| I acceded, and we turned into Russell-street. It was very quiet 602:167,67[A ]| at the detective corner just then, and we stopped on the broad 602:167,68[A ]| pavement almost as soon as we had turned the corner. 602:167,69@a | "So you have withheld some information all along?" 602:167,69[A ]| I 602:167,70[A ]| questioned. 602:167,71@a | "I hope, for your own sake, that it is not of much value?" 602:167,72@c | "I do not know of what value it may be to you, and I may add, 602:167,73@c | if I can do so without offence, that I do not care. My business 602:167,74@c | was with my late master, and I have been faithful to him until 602:167,75@c | his head was laid in the grave. I will be faithful to him longer, 602:167,76@c | as far as that goes, for I will not tell you a syllable more unless 602:167,77@c | you promise to keep my information strictly to yourself." 602:167,78@a | "What good will it be to me if I am compelled to keep it to 602:167,79@a | myself?" 602:167,80@c | "That you can judge for yourself. Mr%*Camperton's memory 602:167,81@c | is not \now\ held in good odour, and no man shall accuse me 601:168,01@c | of darkening his name more than it is already darkened ~~ that is, 601:168,02@c | publicly." 601:168,03@a | "Your information, then, is of a nature to cast reflections on Mr%*Camperton's 601:168,04@a | memory?" 601:168,05@c | "In the eyes of his creditors, doubtless. But it is needless to 601:168,06@c | discuss it. Will you give me your promise, or will you not?" 601:168,07@a | "Stop. What benefit do you expect it may be to \me\ to tell me 601:168,08@a | this secret?" 601:168,09@c | "I think it barely possible that the information may guide you 601:168,10@c | in a more hopeful search for the lost jewellery." 601:168,11@a | "And I can make use of it without breaking a promise to you?" 601:168,12@c | "Certainly." 601:168,13@a | "Then I give you my word that whatever you tell me shall go 601:168,14@a | no further." 601:168,15@c | "Very well. The information I want to give you is this. When 601:168,16@c | my late master was so suddenly overtaken by death, he was on the 601:168,17@c | eve of flight from the country, and he had made a confidant of me 601:168,18@c | to a certain extent. He had been a good master to me, and 601:168,19@c | paid me well for doing what little I could towards furthering his 601:168,20@c | plans. He told me he was in terribly straightened circumstances, 601:168,21@c | and that his only chance of an approaching exposure was in disappearing. 601:168,22@c | It was arranged that he was to personate \me\, and the 601:168,23@c | valise I packed for him in preparation for flight is still in my 601:168,24@c | possession. He did not explain his plans to me, but I took a 601:168,25@c | second class berth for James*Allen in the ship \Jennifer\ that 601:168,26@c | sailed for the Chinese seas on the morning of his death. When 601:168,27@c | I admitted the messenger from Messrs%*Shanklin, I naturally 601:168,28@c | guessed that Mr%*Camperton was providing himself with jewels 601:168,29@c | in lieu of money for his flight, but I was not going to throw 601:168,30@c | dirt on a dead man whose bread I had eaten. I thought the 601:168,31@c | best to tell you of his intention, thinking it may turn your 601:168,32@c | search into some other channel." 601:168,33@a | "I do not see how it can. Can not you give me some other hint? 601:168,34@a | What you have told me only accounts for one puzzling part of the 601:168,35@a | affair. It merely answers the question as to what the man could 601:168,36@a | possibly want of such a valuable necklace." 601:168,37@c | "I will never repeat what I say to you now. But it is plain to 601:168,38@c | even me that Mr%*Camperton got the expensive necklace simply to 601:168,39@c | blind the jewellers. His private life was well known, and he might 601:168,40@c | naturally be supposed to give such an article away, the value of 601:168,41@c | which, to a man of his supposed wealth, might be of little consequence. 601:168,42@c | On the other hand, when broke up and the jewels stowed 601:168,43@c | about his person, the value would be considerable to him." 601:168,44@a | "Were you aware that most of his supposed diamonds had been 601:168,45@a | displaced by mock gems?" 601:168,46@c | "I was, and I am of opinion that he had been living on their 601:168,47@c | value for some time. The ring he left with Messrs%*Shanklin, as 601:168,48@c | sort of guarantee, was genuine, but of course you are now aware 601:168,49@c | that it was not his own?" 601:168,50@a | "Yes, it was claimed by the Hon%*A%*Jarrett, of Sydney." 601:168,51@c | "My new master. Yes, Mr%*Camperton simply borrowed it 601:168,52@c | from Mr%*Jarrett, with the excuse of having one made similar. 601:168,53@c | And now I bid you good*day. Should I be wanted at any 601:168,54@c | time, you know where I am to be found." 601:168,55@a | "One moment, Allen; will you tell me if you have no suspicion 601:168,56@a | of your own as to the extraordinary disappearance of these jewels?" 601:168,57@c | "Honestly, I have \not\. I am sure my master never left the 601:168,58@c | premises after I saw him. I am as certain as I live that my late 601:168,59@c | master's intention on that night was to unset the jewels, and conceal 601:168,60@c | them on his person. I came to that conclusion as soon as I 601:168,61@c | was aware of the value he had received per Messrs%*Shanklin's 601:168,62@c | messenger, and I consequently believed your search ~~ especially 601:168,63@c | in the garden ~~ useless. A man who was prepared for an early 601:168,64@c | flight would not hide the means of that flight out of his reach. It 601:168,65@c | is not very probable, perhaps, but the most natural idea to my mind 601:168,66@c | is that some burglar has by chance got a bigger haul than he 601:168,67@c | expected. Good*bye." 601:168,68[A ]| A perfectly well-bred gentleman could not have lifted his hat 601:168,69[A ]| with more grace, and I saw James*Allen moving up the street, 601:168,70[A ]| after he had taken leave of me, without a suspicion concerning 601:168,71[A ]| him on my mind. I \had\ suspected him about the necklace at 601:168,72[A ]| once. I did so no longer. 601:168,73[A ]| And his last words had turned my thoughts in a most aggravating 601:168,74[A ]| direction. The allusion to burglars naturally drew my mind 601:168,75[A ]| into a disagreeable remembrance of the young scamp, Ned*Coglan. 601:168,76[A ]| That very morning I had been unpleasantly reminded of his 601:168,77[A ]| existence by a question from our chief. 601:168,77@w | Had I got any trace of 601:168,78@w | him yet? 601:168,78@a | No; I had not got any trace of him yet, nor did it 601:168,79@a | seem at all probable to me that I should at any future time get 601:168,80@a | any. 601:168,80[A ]| The amazingly clever young villain had dropped out of 602:168,01[A ]| sight in a, to me, almost marvellous manner. I was confident he 602:168,02[A ]| had left the country to enjoy the proceeds of his last burglary, and 602:168,03[A ]| I cursed his memory in my head. If it had not been for my 602:168,04[A ]| want of success in \his\ case, I should not have been so humiliated 602:168,05[A ]| over my baulk in the necklace affair, but two complete failures of 602:168,06[A ]| my own cases, directly following each other, were as gall and 602:168,07[A ]| wormwood to me. 602:168,08[A ]| I decided to give myself the benefit of at least the chance of a 602:168,09[A ]| clue suggested by Allen's information. I went out to K*** after 602:168,10[A ]| dark, my object being to have a chat with senior Cavanagh, who 602:168,11[A ]| was on in the vicinity of "Everloo." Whatever was to be learned 602:168,12[A ]| I should learn from him, for his heart was in his work, and a 602:168,13[A ]| sparrow could hardly chirrup out of its usual haunts in 602:168,14[A ]| K*** but Cavanagh would know of it. I was not disappointed in 602:168,15[A ]| my choice of the house and place, for Cavanagh was sauntering 602:168,16[A ]| quietly along by the villa hedges of ***road, and there was not a 602:168,17[A ]| soul near him to observe our consultation. 602:168,18@w | "No," 602:168,18[A ]| said the worthy fellow, in reply to my questions. 602:168,18@w | "I 602:168,19@w | have not had a stranger under supervision since fully a week before 602:168,20@w | Mr%*Camperton's death. A day or two before, we had one of your 602:168,21@w | city darlings up for being in a public place with intent. It was 602:168,22@w | Joram, and he got off. These young villains are too clever to live. 602:168,23@w | \I would\ hang every one of them without judge or jury. Any sign of Ned*Coglan 602:168,24@w | yet?" 602:168,25@a | "No; it was in hopes you might have laid me on that I came 602:168,26@a | out to-night. Coglan is the devil at disguise, you know." 602:168,27@w | "I know, but he has not been at K***; he \could not\, unknown to 602:168,28@w | me. We have our local larrikins and villains, but we will not stand 602:168,29@w | any city rascals. No trace of that necklace yet?" 602:168,30@a | "No." 602:168,31@w | "Aye, I do not wonder you are touchy on that subject; you have 602:168,32@w | been unlucky of late, Sinclair. I suppose there will soon be a final 602:168,33@w | break-up at "Elverloo"; all the servants but one have gone." 602:168,34@a | "And Mrs%*Camperton?" 602:168,35@w | "She is there yet, but going to-morrow, I believe; though I 602:168,36@w | do not know where. She is to be pitied, poor woman. I am told 602:168,37@w | she has not a penny but the price of the jewellery she had before 602:168,38@w | she married. She sold it to Shanklin yesterday. Did he tell you?" 602:168,39@a | "No, I have not seen him." 602:168,40@w | "I suppose not. As you are not likely to apply for that three 602:168,41@w | hundred reward, I suppose you do not make many morning calls on 602:168,42@w | Shanklin? Ha! ha! ha!" 602:168,43@a | "I am glad to find you so lively and witty, Cavanagh. Good*night." 602:168,44@a | 602:168,45[A ]| And I turned into a road that would lead me to "Elverloo" 602:168,46[A ]| direct. I do not know what the mischief took me there ~~ one of 602:168,47[A ]| those instinctive and unaccountable impulses, doubtless, that will 602:168,48[A ]| puzzle men while the world lasts. 602:168,49[A ]| I walked to the well-known side gate, and peered through the 602:168,50[A ]| iron bars into the starlit grounds. The grounds of "Elverloo" 602:168,51[A ]| were not extensive. From where I stood, I could distinctly see 602:168,52[A ]| the window of the study that opened into the garden, though it 602:168,53[A ]| was shaded by shrubbery, and the outline of that side of the 602:168,54[A ]| house was plainly visible against the sky. All was in darkness 602:168,55[A ]| save one window, and that I knew to be the window of Mrs%*Camperton's 602:168,56[A ]| own room next to the study. 602:168,57[A ]| The scenes I had witnessed there so lately ~~ I mean the coffined 602:168,58[A ]| dead and the imposing funeral ~~ intensified my sense of the present 602:168,59[A ]| silence and loneliness of "Elverloo," and I was going to turn away 602:168,60[A ]| from the gate, when I fancied I saw a dark shadow move among 602:168,61[A ]| the shrubs near the house. My heart beat hard with hope of I 602:168,62[A ]| knew not what, and before I had time for consideration I had crept 602:168,63[A ]| through the gate and along the boundary wall among the trees 602:168,64[A ]| by the study window. I had barely gained shelter when I saw a 602:168,65[A ]| form move lightly from the opposite direction, and cautiously 602:168,66[A ]| approach the lighted window of Mrs%*Camperton's room. In a 602:168,67[A ]| moment of time I fancied I had identified that form, and the next 602:168,68[A ]| found me desperately holding him on the ground, while I clasped 602:168,69[A ]| my handcuffs on his wrists. 602:168,70[A ]| It surprised me that after the first shock Ned*Coglan (for it was 602:168,71[A ]| indeed he) did not struggle or resist; indeed, as soon as I would 602:168,72[A ]| permit him; he got lightly to his feet, and laughed in a low tone. 602:168,73@a | "By George, you take it mighty easy!" 602:168,73[A ]| I whispered; 602:168,73@a | "but 602:168,74@a | you will sing a different tune before the bench to-morrow. What were 602:168,75@a | you doing here?" 602:168,76@f | "Come out of this. It is worth money to you not to alarm the 602:168,77@f | lady inside. Come down to the road, and we will talk about the 602:168,78@f | the bench to-morrow. Oh, you need not be alarmed; I am not 602:168,79@f | going to try a run. There is no fear of you detaining me; not the 602:168,80@f | least!" 601:169,01@a | "Is not there; but I am quite willing to get away from the house. 601:169,02@a | My friend Constable*Cavanagh is on duty in the neighbourhood." 601:169,03@f | "Aye! Well be advised by me, and take me in the very 601:169,04@f | opposite direction from your friend Constable*Cavanagh." 601:169,05@a | "What do you mean, you cheeky villain?" 601:169,06@f | "No names, if you please, Sinclair. My meaning is plain 601:169,07@f | enough. If you want to have that three hundred of Shanklin's all 601:169,08@f | to yourself you will keep clear of your friend Constable*Cavanagh 601:169,09@f | just now." 601:169,10[A ]| I gathered instantly that the good-looking, devil-may-care young 601:169,11[A ]| rascal I had caught at last was able to give me some valuable 601:169,12[A ]| information about the case I had given up for lost. 601:169,13@a | "You know something about the lost necklace!" 601:169,13[A ]| I cried. 601:169,13@a | "If 601:169,14@a | you do you will not lose anything by it if you tell me." 601:169,15@f | "I know I will not," 601:169,15[A ]| he chuckled. 601:169,15@f | "Come, off with these handcuffs, 601:169,16@f | Sinclair; they inconvenience a gentleman." 601:169,17@a | "You can speak with them on, at all events." 601:169,18@f | "But I will not ~~ not a syllable. Come now, you had better take me 601:169,19@f | while I am in the humour, for you know what a sulky chap I am 601:169,20@f | when I am crossed. I would rather do a year than open my mouth 601:169,21@f | when I have made up my mind to keep it shut." 601:169,22@a | "What \can\ you tell me?" 601:169,22[A ]| I asked. 601:169,23@f | "I can tell you who took the necklace, and I can tell you where 601:169,24@f | you can lay your hands on what is left of it." 601:169,25@a | "What is left of it!" 601:169,26@f | "Yes, it has been breaking up this week past, and I have been waiting 601:169,27@f | like a fool; but, after all, I will not lose it altogether. Now, are 601:169,28@f | you going to take off these bracelets? I never cared for \this\ kind 601:169,29@f | ~~ they have no value in them; I prefer diamond ones." 601:169,30[A ]| I unlocked the handcuffs, and took them off. We were near the 601:169,31[A ]| gate by this time, and the audacious young scoundrel drew me 601:169,32[A ]| aside to a green spot, where he coolly sat down. 601:169,33@f | "I am tired," 601:169,33[A ]| he said, 601:169,33@f | "and I want a smoke. There is plenty of 601:169,34@f | time; I will not hurry you." 601:169,35@a | "Hurry \me\!" 601:169,36@f | "Yes, about these conditions of mine; you can think them over 601:169,37@f | when I tell them to you. Briefly, then, here they are. I want 601:169,38@f | fifty out of that three hundred, and time to clear out." 601:169,39@a | "You want fifty pounds of the reward?" 601:169,40@f | "Yes; is not it little enough? \You\ will not get a penny of it if I 601:169,41@f | hold my tongue, for to-morrow the jewels will be out of the 601:169,42@f | country. If I speak, you get the reward and all the glory and 601:169,43@f | honour of the discovery, for of course you will say nothing of \me\. 601:169,44@f | Now, do not hurry your answer." 601:169,45[A ]| I looked at the young fellow with something like admiration, as 601:169,46[A ]| he coolly lit his pipe and commenced to smoke in regular, long-drawn 601:169,47[A ]| whiffs. What was to be my reply? If he could truly put 601:169,48[A ]| me on the certain recovery of the necklace I was quite willing to 601:169,49[A ]| close with his offer. But you will say ~~ 601:169,49@x | "What! condone his 601:169,50@x | villainy by letting him go free with fifty pounds in his pocket." 601:169,51[A ]| Oh, we do queerer things than that sometimes in our department! 601:169,52@a | "I agree," 601:169,52[A ]| I said at last. 601:169,52@a | "If I get the reward you shall have 601:169,53@a | your fifty and your freedom, as far as I am concerned." 601:169,54@f | "And as far as anyone else is concerned, I will look out for myself." 601:169,55[A ]| And, drawing a few whiffs in silence, he at last put the pipe on 601:169,56[A ]| the grass beside him, and began what proved to be one of the most 601:169,57[A ]| astonishing revelations I had ever listened to. 601:169,58@f | "You must know, then, I had plotted to rob this place the very 601:169,59@f | night that Camperton died, and I came single-handed to it. You 601:169,60@f | see, I have been very lucky lately, and I only wanted a little more to 601:169,61@f | carry me out of the country comfortably, so I determined to have 601:169,62@f | it out of "Elverloo" (I think they call it), without anyone to divide 601:169,63@f | it with. I need not go into particulars. I had got the lay of the house 601:169,64@f | by heart, and knew enough of the habits of the people to be sure 601:169,65@f | that when once the boss left the study no*one else would be up. 601:169,66@f | I was here, planted in the shrubbery, when Miss*D*** came. 601:169,67@f | She came in a cab that waited at the side gate for her. She went 601:169,68@f | away about eleven. I hung on for a long time after the long 601:169,69@f | window was pushed to. I was waiting for the light to disappear, 601:169,70@f | but it did not, and the time seemed terribly long to me, for I dare not 601:169,71@f | even smoke. I heard the clock strike twelve, and waited, I guess, 601:169,72@f | fully another half an hour; then I could stand it no longer, and 601:169,73@f | I determined to have a peep. 601:169,74@f | It was easily done, for the window was not fastened, and it had 601:169,75@f | been blown a little ajar by the breeze. Creeping up I put my eye 601:169,76@f | to the crack, and saw that Camperton was asleep. At least, I 601:169,77@f | thought so at first; but something in his attitude changed my mind, 601:169,78@f | and as I pushed the window a little more inwards, I saw his face, 601:169,79@f | and that he was dead. I can tell you I will never forget that sight of 601:169,80@f | a dead man's face with the gaslight flaring right into it, and the 601:169,81@f | glassy eyes wide open and seeming to stare at me. 602:169,01@f | My game was up; I saw that at once. I did not know then 602:169,02@f | that Camperton had died a natural death, nor but that I might be 602:169,03@f | accused of murdering him if I was caught. I do not mind saying 602:169,04@f | I am game for anything in the way of risking a few years, but I 602:169,05@f | draw the line at that; I will murder no man. 602:169,06@f | I crept away from the window, and was only just in time. I 602:169,07@f | was never nearer being cornered in my life. I was just behind a 602:169,08@f | bush near the window when a woman went up to it and peeped in. 602:169,09@f | I guess what I saw frightened her a little, or perhaps she thought 602:169,10@f | he was only sleeping; at all events, she pushed the window open 602:169,11@f | cautiously, and went in. 602:169,12@f | I was behind her quick enough to see her face as she turned at 602:169,13@f | the other side of the table, and now there was no doubt that she 602:169,14@f | knew the truth. I see the horror in her eyes yet; but she was 602:169,15@f | not afraid enough to forget the main chance. Oh, when there is 602:169,16@f | to be a perfect exhibition of villainy, leave a woman alone to 602:169,17@f | undertake it! She saw something that I, who had come to rob 602:169,18@f | the house, did not see, and she pounced upon it; glad, I have no 602:169,19@f | doubt, that the dead man could not snatch it back from her 602:169,20@f | grasp." 602:169,21@a | "It was the necklace!" 602:169,22@f | "It was a string of light! It flashed as she lifted it, just as 602:169,23@f | you have seen lightning out of a black cloud. It was lying on the 602:169,24@f | carpet. The papers said his hand hung down as if something had 602:169,25@f | dropped from it; that was what dropped from it ~~ the lost necklace. 602:169,26@f | When she grabbed it she seized the case that was on the table, and 602:169,27@f | was out so soon that I was hard set to get out of her way in 602:169,28@f | time." 602:169,29@a | "I wonder you did not take it from her," 602:169,29[A ]| I cried excitedly. 602:169,30@f | "Oh no! I would not have taken it if she had handed it to me. 602:169,31@f | I do not want to be connected in any way with murder, and at that 602:169,32@f | time I believed she had poisoned him somehow, and came to make 602:169,33@f | sure he was dead:" 602:169,34@a | "And so that wretch D*** had it, after all." 602:169,35@f | "No, the wretch, Miss*D***, as you call her, had nothing to do 602:169,36@f | with it. Look nearer home." 602:169,37@a | "Good heavens! you do not mean ~~ " 602:169,38@f | "I do; it was his wife. Ah, that surprises you! If \I\ was a 602:169,39@f | detective, Mr%*Sinclair, I would be a cleverer one than you." 602:169,40@a | "His wife! Why did not you give information at once?" 602:169,41@f | "Why was not I a fool? I wanted those jewels myself, and I have 602:169,42@f | been shepherding them. A pretty hard job I have had of it. I have 602:169,43@f | been so looked for, and not been able to trust a mate through wanting 602:169,44@f | no sharers in the swag. But I made sure she had them, and 602:169,45@f | to-night I saw them." 602:169,46@a | "To-night!" 602:169,47@f | "Yes, just as you grabbed me. I was watching her through the 602:169,48@f | window. She has been over a week trying to pull that necklace to bits, 602:169,49@f | and she has got the unset diamonds on her. I saw her put one in a 602:169,50@f | bag just as you came up. It is a bad night's work for me, but a 602:169,51@f | good one for you; and after all, I will have the fifty and no risk. 602:169,52@f | By George, you have no time to spare, either, for she is all packed 602:169,53@f | up for England to-morrow!" 602:169,54[A ]| He got up from the grass now, and laughed at my astounded 602:169,55[A ]| face. 602:169,56@f | "Now is the time, man," 602:169,56[A ]| he said; 602:169,56@f | "do not lose it. I would stop to 602:169,57@f | help you, only Constable*Cavanagh is so handy. Will I send him 602:169,58@f | to you?" 602:169,59@a | "No; I will do it myself!" 602:169,60@f | "That is right, no other shares in the three hundred! Well, I will 602:169,61@f | tell you what I will do for you ~~ I will open that study door for you 602:169,62@f | so that you can get in without any trouble. Guess you will not 602:169,63@f | object to a skeleton key now, eh?" 602:169,64@a | "You are an impudent beggar," 602:169,64[A ]| I returned. 602:169,64@a | "Yes, you may open 602:169,65@a | the window." 602:169,66@f | "A minute; mind, it is understood about that fifty. When will 602:169,67@f | you give it to me?" 602:169,68@a | "To-morrow night, if you like; that is, if I get the jewels." 602:169,69@f | "Oh, they are safe. To-morrow night, then, at that address;" 602:169,70[A ]| and he put a card into my hand as he whispered. 602:169,70@f | "I am off as soon 602:169,71@f | as the window is open." 602:169,72[A ]| There was perfect silence in the house as I entered the study. 602:169,73[A ]| I felt strangely nervous while crossing it, and feeling for the door in 602:169,74[A ]| the darkness. I fancied the dead man again sleeping his last sleep 602:169,75[A ]| in that arm-chair, with his own pictured face looking down upon 602:169,76[A ]| him from the wall. In all my experience of police work, this was 602:169,77[A ]| the first time I had had occasion to steal into the house like a 602:169,78[A ]| thief to arrest a woman. 602:169,79[A ]| I knew the position of Mrs%*Camperton's door in the passage, and 602:169,80[A ]| softly tried the handle; it was fastened, and I knocked gently. 602:169,81[A ]| What I had anticipated happened; Mrs%*Camperton concluded it 601:170,01[A ]| was the servant, and after a little pause opened the door. I 601:170,02[A ]| pushed her back suddenly, and entered. 601:170,03[A ]| She did not scream or cry out, but she staggered back silently, 601:170,04[A ]| and stared at me in horror. I closed the door, locked it, and put 601:170,05[A ]| the key in my pocket. It will be remembered that the apartment 601:170,06[A ]| was a sitting-room. I advanced to the table, on which a candle 601:170,07[A ]| only was burning, and at one glance saw that Coglan had not lied 601:170,08[A ]| to me. There was no appearance of jewels, but there were a pair 601:170,09[A ]| of pliers, and many bits of broken gold setting. 601:170,10@d | "What do you want?" 601:170,10[A ]| she asked, as soon as she could command 601:170,11[A ]| herself. 601:170,11@d | "How dare you enter my apartment in this impudent, 601:170,12@d | unceremonious fashion? What do you want?" 601:170,13@a | "I want the jewels you robbed your dead husband of," 601:170,13[A ]| I replied. 601:170,14@a | "There is no use in wasting time over denying the fact, madam; 601:170,15@a | I have an eye-witness to the robbery. I know that you have the 601:170,16@a | diamonds and rubies on your person; will you give them up without 601:170,17@a | trouble, or be taken to the lock-up and searched?" 601:170,18[A ]| She did not answer me for a few moments, while I stood and 601:170,19[A ]| watched her. Doubtless, she considered well her poor chances of 601:170,20[A ]| escape, and saw how hopeless they were. She had seated herself 601:170,21[A ]| on a couch, and evidently knew that I was watching every movement, 601:170,22[A ]| for she only took her white hands from her lap to plunge 601:170,23[A ]| one of them in her bosom. 601:170,24@d | "There!" 601:170,24[A ]| she said bitterly as she tossed me a small black 601:170,25[A ]| velvet bag; 601:170,25@d | "it is a meaner act of you to win Shanklin's reward 601:170,26@d | than it was for me to take my own. It was \no\ robbery ~~ I had a 601:170,27@d | right to Camperton's property. What was it to \me\ that they were 601:170,28@d | not paid for? He had spent \my\ dower, and I am not paid yet." 601:170,29[A ]| In regard to Mrs%*Camperton, it only need be said that no action 601:170,30[A ]| was taken against her, the Messrs%*Shanklin refusing to prosecute. 601:170,31[A ]| I close with a few words respecting my friend Ned*Coglan and 601:170,32[A ]| my share in the reward. I got the three hundred from the gratified 601:170,33[A ]| Jewellers, and went to the address give me by Coglan to pay 601:170,34[A ]| him the promised fifty. To my surprise, insted of finding him 601:170,35[A ]| lying close in some quiet place, I was introduced to a handsome 601:170,36[A ]| room in a decidedly respectable house, where my young scoundrel 601:170,37[A ]| was sitting, dressed to death, and smoking in company with an 601:170,38[A ]| officer of one of her Majesty's vessels of war then lying in Hobson's*Bay. 601:170,39[A ]| He laughed aloud as he noted my surprise. 601:170,40@f | "Allow me to introduce you to my brother, Mr%*Sinclair. 601:170,41@f | Lieutenant*Somberley ~~ Mr%*Sinclair. You did not know my real 601:170,42@f | name before. You called to make that little settlement? Sit 601:170,43@f | down, and have a glass of wine. You are surprised, Sinclair? 601:170,44@f | Well, I am a scamp; but, after all, it seems they can not do without 601:170,45@f | the scamp at home. The old folks sent for me by last mail, and I 601:170,46@f | had decided on going home in my brother's vessel; but I could not 601:170,47@f | go without seeing the end of the business ~~ you know what! The 601:170,48@f | fifty pounds? Ah! Shall I give you a receipt? No? 601:170,49@f | You are a brick, Sinclair." 601:170,50[A ]| I have reason to believe that the young prodigal was not blowing, 601:170,51[A ]| and that he was really a scion of a decent family, who never knew 601:170,52[A ]| what career he had been pursuing in the city of Melbourne. 601:170,53[A ]| There are too many bad slips of good old trees in this new country, 601:170,54[A ]| I am sorry to say, and many of them have been concerned in our 601:170,55[A ]| big swindles and robberies. 701:277,00@@@@@| 701:277,00[' ]| 701:277,00[' ]| 701:277,00[' ]| 701:277,01[A ]| During the time I was in business on my own account as a 701:277,02[A ]| private detective I met with not a few uncommon experiences. 701:277,03[A ]| There is a good deal of difference between the ordinary work of a 701:277,04[A ]| private*D% and that of a plain-clothes policeman, the former being 701:277,05[A ]| mostly engaged in domestic cases, and the latter in duties connected 701:277,06[A ]| with the detection of crimes which have been made public. 701:277,07[A ]| I was introudced into the case which forms the subject of this 701:277,08[A ]| paper by a letter received at my office one morning signed 701:277,09[A ]| "Robert*Ruston," who requested me to call on him that morning 701:277,10[A ]| "on business." 701:277,11[A ]| The name was strange to me: the address was in East*Melbourne. 701:277,12[A ]| I took my way to it leisurely, walking enjoyably through 701:277,13[A ]| the Fitzroy*Gardens, which were on that particular early summer 701:277,14[A ]| morning aglow with flowers and fresh with luxuriant verdure, 701:277,15[A ]| glistening with the moisture of the previous night's shower. 701:277,16[A ]| Mr%*Ruston's residence wa a responsible-looking one in P***street, 701:277,17[A ]| with "Sodor*House" painted on the stone pillars of the 701:277,18[A ]| gateway. A small garden ~~ just a belt with scrubs and a couple 701:277,19[A ]| of stone vases full of scarlet geraniums ~~ fronted the house, which 701:277,20[A ]| was approached by broad stone steps. 701:277,21[A ]| An elderly serving man opened the door, dressed in plain and 701:277,22[A ]| rather shabby attire, which did not appear to have been made for 701:277,23[A ]| him. On saying that I had called by appointment, he led me 701:277,24[A ]| promptly into a back apartment on the ground floor, where I found 701:277,25[A ]| a very ill-tempered looking man of about fifty seated in a very 701:277,26[A ]| large and deep armchair between the tables and the fire: a pair of 701:277,27[A ]| steel spectacles across his nose, and the morning paper in his 701:277,28[A ]| hands. 701:277,29[A ]| As I passed through it I remarked the bare look of the ample 701:277,30[A ]| hall, and the shabby spareness of this room was also noticeable. 701:277,31[A ]| The furniture was mean-looking and scanty, the carpet worn and 701:277,32[A ]| too small for the apartment, and the dark moreen curtains almost 701:277,33[A ]| colourless from dust and age. Yet, so far as his own personal 701:277,34[A ]| comfort was concerned, this Mr%*Ruston seemed to lack for 701:277,35[A ]| nothing. The tray at his hand held the remains of an excellent 701:277,36[A ]| breakfast; there was a decanter of brandy standing by the coffee-pot; 701:277,37[A ]| his morning coat was a comfortable one, and his handsomely-slippered 701:277,38[A ]| feet rested on a broad and soft hassock. 701:277,38@a | "A miserly 701:277,39@a | selfish old hunks," 701:277,39[A ]| thought I, 701:277,39@a | "who begrudges everything that is 701:277,40@a | not provided for his own especial comfort!" 701:277,41[A ]| The man was more than ill-tempered looking; he gave the 701:277,42[A ]| impression of one who would go out of his way to make others 701:277,43[A ]| uncomfortable. He turned on me suddenly a sharp, frowning 701:277,44[A ]| stare from under bent brows, and he screwed up his thin, shaven 701:277,45[A ]| lips and twisted his sharp nose as if to say ~~ 701:277,45@x | "I will take \your\ 701:277,46@x | measure in two twos, and do not you think you will get the better of 701:277,47@x | \me\ anyway." 701:277,48@b | "Who are you?" 701:277,48[A ]| he said, with such an accompanying frown 701:277,49[A ]| that his spectacles were dislodged by the facial movement and fell 701:277,50[A ]| to the carpet. 701:277,51@a | "I am Detective*Sinclair," 701:277,51[A ]| I replied; 701:277,51@a | "you sent a letter to my 701:277,52@a | office requesting me to call." 701:277,53[A ]| My manner, which was intended to be as brusque as possible, 701:277,54[A ]| had the desired effect of showing my client that I would not 701:277,55[A ]| tolerate his ill-humour. 701:277,56[A ]| He stared hard at me for a moment and then spoke in a much 701:277,57[A ]| milder fashion. 701:277,58@b | "Please, do not speak so loud. I would not have the servants 701:277,59@b | hear you on any account. Sit down till I compose myself." 701:277,60[A ]| With a shaking hand he poured himself out a glass of brandy, 701:277,61[A ]| and pushed the decanter toward me invitingly. I shook my head. 701:277,62@a | "I do not drink in the mornings, and if you do it is no wonder you 701:277,63@a | are so nervous. Now you are yourself, be good enough to tell me 701:277,64@a | what is the business you wished to transact with me." 701:277,65@b | "Perhaps," 701:277,65[A ]| he said, hesitatingly, as he put on his glasses again 701:277,66[A ]| and looked at me suspiciously ~~ 701:277,66@b | "perhaps what I was thinking of 701:277,67@b | might not suit you to undertake." 701:277,68@a | "I am not at all particular as to the style of the work entrusted 701:277,69@a | me so long as it pays me to do it." 701:277,69[A ]| I said. 701:277,70@b | "Yes, but I am doubtful if you will undertake what I thought of 701:277,71@b | getting you to do. It is more of a domestic nature." 701:277,72@a | "That is quite in my way. You have some idea of getting 701:277,73@a | evidence up for a ~~ a divorce, perhaps?" 701:277,74@b | "No. I am not married ~~ yet," 701:277,74[A ]| and he smiled grimly; 701:277,74@b | "but I 701:277,75@b | have been thinking of turning benedict in my old days. Just read 702:277,01@b | that," 702:277,01[A ]| and he handed me a newspaper, pointing to a particular 702:277,02[A ]| place, where I read as follows: ~~ 702:277,03@z | "An elderly gentleman of considerable means and property is 702:277,04@z | desirous, with a view to matrimony, to meet with a lady, not over 702:277,05@z | forty, who is possessed of some means also. Communications 702:277,06@z | which will be held strictly confidential, to be addressed, in the first 702:277,07@z | place, ""Azo,"" G%*P%*O." 702:277,08@b | "Well," 702:277,08[A ]| inquired Ruston, as I laid down the paper, 702:277,08@b | "what do 702:277,09@b | you think of it?" 702:277,10@a | "It is the usual style of matrimonial advertisements. What 702:277,11@a | do you want me to do?" 702:277,12@b | "You have no objection to be engaged in such an affair?" 702:277,13@a | "Not in the least, with the proviso I mentioned before ~~ 7viz%, 702:277,14@a | that it pays me to do so." 702:277,15@b | "Well, I will explain." 702:277,15[A ]| And he crossed his legs and took off his 702:277,16[A ]| glasses as he settled himself back in his chair. 702:277,16@b | "It has come 702:277,17@b | home to me frequently of late that there is something wanting in 702:277,18@b | my life. Servants are all very well in their way, but they want a 702:277,19@b | watchful supervision that I can no longer give them. I am not 702:277,20@b | so active as I was twenty years ago, and I require more personal 702:277,21@b | attention. I have been thinking, then, that if I was to marry an 702:277,22@b | active woman who had money ~~ That is a \7sine*qua*non\," 702:277,22[A ]| he 702:277,23[A ]| interpolated. 702:277,23@b | "I will not marry a woman who has not enough to 702:277,24@b | support herself. I made my own money, and I made it for my 702:277,25@b | own comfort." 702:277,26[A ]| He paused for a little, and then went on ~~ 702:277,27@b | "Well, I have determined upon marrying, and I have also determined 702:277,28@b | to marry no woman who has not money. I will not say that 702:277,29@b | I expect her to lay pound for pound with me, because I do not 702:277,30@b | choose to state exactly how many pounds I possess; do you see?" 702:277,31@a | "I see nothing," 702:277,31[A ]| I answered now, 702:277,31@a | "but that you have not 702:277,32@a | yet reached a point in your matrimonial explanation that leads to 702:277,33@a | myself. Pray, where are my services to come in?" 702:277,34@b | "You are very obtuse," 702:277,34[A ]| he said, irritably; 702:277,34@b | "or, perhaps, it is that 702:277,35@b | you do not want to comprehend. Do not you see that I wish to 702:277,36@b | engage you to see that I am not taken in in this matrimonial 702:277,37@b | speculation?" 702:277,38@a | "What do you want me to do?" 702:277,39@b | "I want you to get the replies to this advertisement, and bring 702:277,40@b | them to me. I want you to see the women and pump them, and 702:277,41@b | should I be able to select one, I want you to find out, without fear 702:277,42@b | of a mistake, that she really \has\ the money she may profess to 702:277,43@b | have." 702:277,44@a | "Is that all?" 702:277,45@b | "Pretty nearly, I think. Of course, contingencies may arise 702:277,46@b | and other work may fall in to you; but we can arrange for that." 702:277,47@a | "Certainly; and we had better arrange the monetary portion of 702:277,48@a | the business at once. My fee for entering on the matter will be so 702:277,49@a | much, and so much for each day afterward," 702:277,49[A ]| and I named my 702:277,50[A ]| usual terms. 702:277,51@b | "Why, man, it is more than a professional man would charge," 702:277,52[A ]| he cried, aghast. 702:277,53@a | "I am a professional man," 702:277,53[A ]| I returned, shortly. 702:277,54@b | "You are a rum one," 702:277,54[A ]| he returned, looking at me with reluctant 702:277,55[A ]| admiration. 702:277,55@b | "I should have done well with you as a partner 702:277,56@b | when I was in business." 702:277,57@a | "Do you agree to my terms?" 702:277,58@b | "I suppose I must. Am I to give you a cheque?" 702:277,59@a | "If you please." 702:277,60[A ]| We exchanged a few more words about my proceedings, and 702:277,61[A ]| then I left the room, Ruston ringing for the servant to show me 702:277,62[A ]| out; but he did not fail to warn me against the man's curiosity, 702:277,63[A ]| thereby awaking my own regarding John*Bent, as he was named, 702:277,64[A ]| so I regarded him sharply as he preceded me along the hall. 702:277,65[A ]| He was a man of about forty, maybe, with a shifty look and a 702:277,66[A ]| discontented twist in his ordinary looking face. 702:277,67[A ]| The room Mr%*Ruston occupied on that occasion being at the 702:277,68[A ]| back of the house, there was a good length of hall to traverse to 702:277,69[A ]| gain the front door. A baized door divided the vestibule from the 702:277,70[A ]| back hall. When we passed through this dividing door the man 702:277,71[A ]| Bent stopped and carefully closed it; then he turned to me and 702:277,72[A ]| said in almost a whisper ~~ 702:277,72@c | "I should like to ask you a question or 702:277,73@c | two, sir, about master. Would you mind stepping in here for a 702:277,74@c | moment?" 702:277,75[A ]| I assented with alacrity. The room into which Bent led me 702:277,76[A ]| was a sort of breakfast-room, I supposed, as shabby and grimy-looking 702:277,77[A ]| as the rest of the premises. 702:277,78@c | "I hope you will excuse me, sir, but we are that anxious about 702:277,79@c | master ~~ my wife and me, that is ~~ that she would have me speak 702:277,80@c | to you. Please sir, are you a lawyer? Is he about making a 702:277,81@c | will?" 701:278,01@a | "I am not a lawyer," 701:278,01[A ]| I replied, 701:278,01@a | "and I heard nothing about a 701:278,02@a | will. On what account are you anxious about Mr%*Ruston?" 701:278,03@c | "I can not exactly explain, sir, but Mr%*Ruston is changing of late. 701:278,04@c | It seems impossible to please him now ~~ both the missis and me 701:278,05@c | have noticed that. He was always crotchety and hard to get on 701:278,06@c | with, but lately he is worse nor ever." 701:278,07@a | "Have you been long in his service?" 701:278,08@c | "A matter of eight years, sir. Not a bad bit of time to put up 701:278,09@c | with a very difficult man, sir, though I say it as perhaps should not 701:278,10@c | say it. In these colonies servants are not what they are at home, 701:278,11@c | where they will stop a life-time under one roof; and me and the 701:278,12@c | missis could have bettered ourselves many times in them matter 701:278,13@c | of eight years." 701:278,14@a | "Why did not you?" 701:278,15[A ]| The abrupt, straightforward, question seemed to take Bent 701:278,16[A ]| unawares; he stared at me, and scratched his head doubtfully. 701:278,17@a | "It seems queer that you should remain in a service that was 701:278,18@a | objectionable if you had chances of doing better for yourselves." 701:278,19@c | "Well, sir, the fact is that Mr%*Ruston began very early to make 701:278,20@c | me and the missis pretty broad hints that he would not forget us 701:278,21@c | in his will; and so ~~ and so ~~ " 701:278,22@a | "And so that is why you wanted to know if he was contemplating 701:278,23@a | a will to-day? Now, does it not strike you that Mr%*Ruston's 701:278,24@a | life is as good as your own, or, maybe, better? I mean 701:278,25@a | that he may outlive both you and your wife?" 701:278,26@c | "If he does not it is not for want of taking care of himself," 701:278,26[A ]| the 701:278,27[A ]| man growled, sulkily. 701:278,27@c | "Of course, I know it does not always pay 701:278,28@c | to wait for dead men's shoes, but, you see, sir there is a few 701:278,29@c | other compensations. I may say we are our own bosses ~~ the 701:278,30@c | missis and me ~~ and there is little to do. He is too stingy to keep 701:278,31@c | any company, and as he will put the best into his own stomach 701:278,32@c | we have a chance of good living, too, in a way." 701:278,33@a | "Are you and your wife the only servants?" 701:278,34@c | "Yes, sir, and we are plenty. You see what the house is like, 701:278,35@c | and master does not care if it was not even dusted from one year's 701:278,36@c | end to another. And so you are not a lawyer, sir?" 701:278,37@a | "I am a land agent," 701:278,37[A ]| I answered, 701:278,37@a | "and you are likely to see me 701:278,38@a | here pretty often for a time. Mr%*Ruston is thinking of purchasing 701:278,39@a | a large property, and is very cautious about it, you may be sure. 701:278,40@a | Have you any idea what he is worth?" 701:278,41@c | "Only that he is very rich. He made his money in a brewery." 701:278,42@a | "Now I must go, if you please," 701:278,42[A ]| I said. 701:278,42@a | "It might be 701:278,43@a | unpleasant for us if Mr%*Ruston was to walk in here and find me 701:278,44@a | gossiping with you." 701:278,45@c | "There is not the least danger, sir. Master is so afraid of catching 701:278,46@c | cold that he will not venture into the hall for an hour after the 701:278,47@c | door has been opened on a damp day. Thank you, sir; good-morning." 701:278,48@c | 701:278,49[A ]| I had a quiet chuckle to myself as I contemplated Bent's discomfiture 701:278,50[A ]| should Ruston really marry. Well, it was but natural 701:278,51[A ]| that a selfish master should have selfish servants, and I gave no 701:278,52[A ]| further thought to the Bents ~~ I was taken up with my own part in 701:278,53[A ]| this matrimonial hunt. 701:278,54[A ]| What sort of woman would be likely to reply to Ruston's 701:278,55[A ]| advertisement? I was to get any replies there might be at the 701:278,56[A ]| G%*P%*O%, and then, having got Ruston's opinion on them, I was to 701:278,57[A ]| receive the writers at my own office ~~ at least, that is how I had 701:278,58[A ]| understood my instructions. 701:278,59[A ]| As I began to consider the matter calmly, I much doubted if 701:278,60[A ]| there would be any replies to the advertisement at all. Why 701:278,61[A ]| should a woman of means be driven to such a way of getting a 701:278,62[A ]| husband? There were only too many men on the look out for a 701:278,63[A ]| wife with money. If any \did\ apply to "Azo," it would certainly 701:278,64[A ]| be some female whose past would not bear investigation, or whose 701:278,65[A ]| person was decidedly repellent. That was the decision I came to. 701:278,66[A ]| I sent my sharp office lad to the G%*P%*O% just before the time for 701:278,67[A ]| closing, and was shortly in possession of \two\ missives, addressed 701:278,68[A ]| "Azo." I put on my hat and took them straight to Mr%*Ruston. 701:278,69[A ]| Bent admitted me once more; but as, for his benefit, I had provided 701:278,70[A ]| myself with some voluminous documents, he showed no 701:278,71[A ]| suspicion of my second visit in the day. I found Ruston in the 701:278,72[A ]| same room as formerly. He was reading the paper, and at his 701:278,73[A ]| elbow on the table was an early tea, with accompaniments that 701:278,74[A ]| would have tempted a less hungry man than I happened to be. 701:278,75@b | "Ha! so you got some letters for me? Ahem ~~ \two\! I 701:278,76@b | thought there would have been more." 701:278,77@a | "I thought there would not have been one." 701:278,78@b | "Why?" 701:278,78[A ]| he asked, stopping his hand as he was opening one of 701:278,79[A ]| the letters, and gazing at me sharply. 702:278,01@a | "Because women with money are not likely to have to seek a 702:278,02@a | husband through matrimonial ads." 702:278,03[A ]| He looked at me askance, and then he became immersed in his 702:278,04[A ]| brace of letters. After a pause, during which he re-read them, he 702:278,05[A ]| handed both back to me. 702:278,06@b | "You can take them with you. Of course I can trust to your 702:278,07@b | keeping secret everything connected with this?" 702:278,08@a | "If you can not, why did you put the business into my hands?" 702:278,09@b | "You are tempery!" 702:278,09[A ]| he gasped. 702:278,09@b | "I did not mean to offend 702:278,10@b | you. Why can not you get used to me; it is only my way?" 702:278,11@a | "I do not like such ways. I have undertaken your business, 702:278,12@a | and will perform it to the best of my ability. Now, what am I to 702:278,13@a | do about these letters?" 702:278,14@b | "Read them, and reply, appointing meetings at your own office 702:278,15@b | as a preliminary. When you have seen the women, come and 702:278,16@b | give me your opinion on them, and let me know when I am to 702:278,17@b | interview either, or both." 702:278,18@a | "Good-evening. I shall see you some time to-morrow afternoon." 702:278,19@a | 702:278,20[A ]| I had read the notes before I reached my office. The styles 702:278,21[A ]| were noticeably different. One was in a stiff, angular scrawl, the 702:278,22[A ]| production of which had evidently been a matter of pains to the 702:278,23[A ]| writer; the other, written in bold, large caligraphy, with a dash 702:278,24[A ]| and a verve and a self-assertion in every free stroke of the pen. 702:278,25[A ]| The latter simply wanted to see what this "Azo" was like, and 702:278,26[A ]| if he was not too old and hideous to waste her charms and her 702:278,27[A ]| money on. The other was stiffly worded, with primness in every 702:278,28[A ]| line. I wrote to both, making a morning appointment for the 702:278,29[A ]| following day at the private residence of a friend, with whom I had 702:278,30[A ]| arranged to have the use of his parlour for this business. 702:278,31[A ]| I had timed the appointments so that I should first interview 702:278,32[A ]| the self-assertive writer, and I confess I was curious to see her. 702:278,33[A ]| There was a suggestive freedom in her communication that did 702:278,34[A ]| not argue any conventionality of manner, and in this surmise I 702:278,35[A ]| was not disappointed. Precisely at the hour named the young 702:278,36[A ]| lady put in an appearance. 702:278,37[A ]| She was, I dare say, twenty-five, and had a decidedly handsome, 702:278,38[A ]| though audacious, countenance. Her hair was fair, and 702:278,39[A ]| evidently just from the hands of a professional barber. Her 702:278,40[A ]| figure was delicious ~~ that is the word for it. I never saw a more 702:278,41[A ]| perfect female form, with just a suspicion only of a tendency to \embonpoint\. 702:278,42[A ]| Her perfectly gloved hands and well-shaped little feet 702:278,43[A ]| might have been moulded to order, and her dress was rich, and 702:278,44[A ]| studied to set off her charms to the best advantage. 702:278,44@a | "Good 702:278,45@a | heavens!" 702:278,45[A ]| I thought to myself, 702:278,45@a | "what could induce such a woman 702:278,46@a | \with money\ to marry old Ruston?" 702:278,47[A ]| With a sweep of her silken skirts, that sent a wave of perfume 702:278,48[A ]| into my face, my visitor assumed the chair I placed for her, and 702:278,49[A ]| then, after a steady stare at me from a pair of bold grey eyes, she 702:278,50[A ]| laughed aloud as she cried ~~ 702:278,51@d | "\You\ are never ""Azo!"" " 702:278,52@a | "How do you know?" 702:278,53@d | "Because you are not elderly, in the first place." 702:278,54@a | "And in the second?" 702:278,55@d | "Because you are not the old screw I am certain he is." 702:278,56[A ]| I returned her laugh. 702:278,56@a | "You are evidently a lady of discrimination," 702:278,57[A ]| I said, 702:278,57@a | "and I am flattered; but I am sure I am as like 702:278,58@a | an elderly gentleman in search of a wife as you are to a disappointed 702:278,59@a | old maid of not over forty. Have you not made a mistake 702:278,60@a | in this application?" 702:278,61@d | "Not a bit of it; only satisfy me that the old chap is rich, and 702:278,62@d | I will marry him if he had not a tooth in his head." 702:278,63@a | "Pardon me, you are surely ill-advised." 702:278,64@d | "Most sapient of go-betweens," 702:278,64[A ]| pursued the lady, 702:278,64@d | "there may 702:278,65@d | be circumstances in my case which, being in ignorance of, you 702:278,66@d | cannot make allowance for?" 702:278,67@a | "Certainly; but I do not think that any circumstances could 702:278,68@a | justify such a sacrifice as your marriage to ~~ to ""Azo"" would be." 702:278,69@d | "Is he so very hideous, then?" 702:278,70@a | "Not particularly, but he is nearly sixty, I should say." 702:278,71@d | "Is there anything \unusually\ repulsive about the man?" 702:278,72@a | "No," 702:278,72[A ]| I answered, hesitatingly; 702:278,72@a | "he is nasty in his temper, 702:278,73@a | I think, and as mean as ~~ as a miser." 702:278,74[A ]| She laughed again, that clear, unconventional laugh, as she said 702:278,75@d | ~~ "I am not afraid of any man's temper, or his miserliness; believe 702:278,76@d | me, I would soon knock both out of him or know the reason why! 702:278,77@d | Come, now, let us to business. You are the old chap's agent in 702:278,78@d | this matrimonial spec%, of course. When am I to have the 702:278,79@d | pleasure of seeing his own old phiz? What preliminaries are 702:278,80@d | necessary to ensure that honour?" 701:279,01@a | "My instructions are to satisfy myself that any ladies my client 701:279,02@a | may see are eligible in a monetary way. You are aware that the 701:279,03@a | possession of some means of her own was mentioned as a \7sine*qua*non\ 701:279,04@a | in the advertisement?" 701:279,05@d | "Yes, I quite understand. The lady is to supply the means, 701:279,06@d | and the advertiser the mean-ness." 701:279,07@a | "Ah, come now, do not be too hard; and the old man, he is very 701:279,08@a | wealthy himself." 701:279,09@d | "Stick up for him ~~ he is to pay you! But, pray, how am I to 701:279,10@d | be satisfied that the old ass \is\ wealthy? It may all be a take*in 701:279,11@d | on his part to get hold of a woman's money." 701:279,12@a | "The gentleman is a well-known resident of Melbourne living 701:279,13@a | on his income. Anyone to whom you might name him could 701:279,14@a | satisfy you as to his responsibility." 701:279,15@d | "Ah, well, I shall not buy a pig in a pock ~~ assure yourself and 701:279,16@d | him of that fact. As for \my\ means, you can inquire of the writer 701:279,17@d | of that." 701:279,18[A ]| She handed me a sheet of note-paper, whereon I read ~~ 701:279,19@z | "We have in this bank one thousand pounds to the credit of 701:279,20@z | Miss*Marcia*Taylor. 701:279,21@z | (Signed) 701:279,22@z | "P%*BRANT, Teller, Bank*of*Victoria." 701:279,23[A ]| This was dated the previous day. 701:279,24@a | "It is a coincidence." 701:279,24[A ]| I observed, 701:279,24@a | "that the gentleman I am 701:279,25@a | acting for has an account also at the Bank*of*Victoria. I cashed 701:279,26@a | a cheque of his there yesterday, and I am well acquainted with 701:279,27@a | both Paul*Brant and his signature. All I have to do now is to 701:279,28@a | satisfy myself that you are really Miss*Marcia*Taylor." 701:279,29@d | "That can easily be arranged. I am not a person likely to be 701:279,30@d | totally unknown," 701:279,30[A ]| and Miss*Taylor smiled a little self-satisfied 701:279,31[A ]| smile. 701:279,31@d | "All we need do at present, I think, is to arrange about a 701:279,32@d | meeting between the principals. I desire that it be as soon as 701:279,33@d | possible." 701:279,34@a | "I will say this evening at seven o'clock, then ~~ here." 701:279,35@d | "You are sure that your old man will not disappoint me?" 701:279,36@a | "I will engage for him." 701:279,37@d | "Well, then, I may go. Doubtless you have other applicants to 701:279,38@d | interview. Is that so?" 701:279,39@a | "One more," 701:279,39[A ]| I replied, 701:279,39@a | "but a very different person, if I may 701:279,40@a | judge from her note." 701:279,41@d | "Ah!" 701:279,41[A ]| she cried, coquettishly; 701:279,41@d | "I am not afraid of \any\ woman 701:279,42@d | ousting me when I once set myself to conquer. And you may be 701:279,43@d | sure I shall use all my arts to entangle your wealthy old miser." 701:279,44@a | "One moment before you go. Pray, do not be offended, Miss*Taylor, 701:279,45@a | for I feel that I \must\ ask you a question. What on earth 701:279,46@a | can make a beautiful woman like you not only willing, but 701:279,47@a | apparently eager, to wed an old and selfish man? I am 701:279,48@a | thoroughly puzzled and, I confess to you, the idea is repugnant to 701:279,49@a | me." 701:279,50@d | "You are a nice fellow," 701:279,50[A ]| she said, with a laugh. 701:279,50@d | "Instead of 701:279,51@d | doing your best for your old man, who gives you cheques, you are 701:279,52@d | actually trying to keep a lovely young woman from sacrificing 701:279,53@d | herself at his altar. But, stay, you look serious, and I will tell 701:279,54@d | you as a secret for your own very self why it is that I am so 701:279,55@d | determined to throw myself away. I was very fond of a fellow, 701:279,56@d | and he has jilted me. I shall marry to spite him." 701:279,57@a | "But can not you marry a young man? You have means enough 701:279,58@a | for reasonable wishes." 701:279,59@d | "No, I have not; I want more! And I shall use every penny 701:279,60@d | of it to be revenged on the man who has thrown me off! If I 701:279,61@d | loved him once I hate him now, and woe to him when I get a 701:279,62@d | respectable name and position! Why can not I marry a young 701:279,63@d | man? you ask. I know no young man who is in the humour for 701:279,64@d | marriage. It is an old-fashioned tie now, you know," 701:279,64[A ]| she added, 701:279,65[A ]| bitterly: 701:279,65@d | "and, besides, I quite believe in the preference for being 701:279,66@d | an old man's darling rather than a young one's slave." 701:279,67@a | "I would warn you once again. You will not find my client a 701:279,68@a | man who will permit you to handle his purse ~~ nay, he would certainly 701:279,69@a | be jealous and inclined to restrict your liberty. How could 701:279,70@a | you accomplish your silly revenge under such circumstances?" 701:279,71@d | "I shall accomplish my revenge if death were between me and 701:279,72@d | it! And as for your old man being so masterful, just you wait 701:279,73@d | a bit till I have the right, and you will see who will be boss! I am 701:279,74@d | not afraid: but I thank you for your warning. I shall return at 701:279,75@d | seven o'clock to subdue your old gentleman." 701:279,76[A ]| I opened the door of the sitting-room and preceded her to the 701:279,77[A ]| hall door. On the step was standing a woman, whom I guessed 701:279,78[A ]| at once to be the other applicant. Miss*Taylor pursed up her lips 701:279,79[A ]| and looked at me comically as she bowed and swept her rustling 701:279,80[A ]| silks past the newcomer, whom I now addressed ~~ 701:279,81@a | "Are you the lady who replied to ""Azo?"" " 702:279,01@e | "I am no lady, if that is one that has just gone out," 702:279,01[A ]| she snapped; 702:279,02@e | "but I did send a note to Azo, and I will go inside, if you please, 702:279,03@e | before any of the neighbours notice me." 702:279,04@a | "Certainly. Will you step this way, please." 702:279,05[A ]| The newcomer sat down stiffly on the chair I placed for her, 702:279,06[A ]| giving me an opportunity of examining her while her eyes 702:279,07[A ]| wandered sharply round my friend's sitting-room, at which she 702:279,08[A ]| seemed to turn up her sharp nose. The air of the woman was 702:279,09[A ]| expressive of the very largest appreciation of herself, and an utter 702:279,10[A ]| contempt of everything else. She was a primly dressed, spare, 702:279,11[A ]| vinegarish-looking person, of about forty-five. 702:279,12@e | "You are not the man that advertised?" 702:279,12[A ]| she asked suddenly, 702:279,13[A ]| when her curiosity as to the furniture had been satisfied, and she 702:279,14[A ]| turned a pair of small, pale eyes sharply on me. 702:279,15@a | "No, I am not; I am simply his agent." 702:279,16@e | "And what would I want to see his agent for? \You\ can do 702:279,17@e | nothing. What is the use of bring a person here on such a 702:279,18@e | wild goose chase?" 702:279,19@a | "As to my being able to do nothing, madam, I can do what 702:279,20@a | I have been engaged to do. I can select from the applicants such 702:279,21@a | persons as I think my principal would wish to see personally." 702:279,22@e | "O-o-h! indeed! And the sort you would select, maybe, would be 702:279,23@e | the likes of what went out just now. Well, sir, if such is the 702:279,24@e | kind you want, Sarah*Starch need not expect to be selected, nor, 702:279,25@e | indeed, wants to be. Them is not the sort I would equal myself to." 702:279,26@a | "May I ask if you know the ~~ the person you allude to? I mean the 702:279,27@a | young woman you met at the door just now?" 702:279,28@e | "I would have you know, sir, that my acquaintances are respectable," 702:279,29[A ]| retorted Miss*Starch, with her mouth more screwed up, 702:279,30[A ]| and her spare from more rigid than ever; 702:279,30@e | "but, of course, one 702:279,31@e | can not be blind or deaf. Miss*Taylor is well known, indeed." 702:279,32@a | "And no good, I will bet?" 702:279,32[A ]| I questioned, being quite determined 702:279,33[A ]| to humour Miss*Sarah*Starch until I got all the information I 702:279,34[A ]| could out of her. 702:279,34@a | "Anyone can see she is one of the fast ones." 702:279,35@e | "She is fast enough, and loose enough, too. She lives in the 702:279,36@e | next street to me, and the young man she had in tow has just got 702:279,37@e | married and left her. They do say that he had plenty of money, 702:279,38@e | and paid her well to get rid of her, or get his letters back, promising 702:279,39@e | marriage and that, but one can not believe everything one 702:279,40@e | hears." 702:279,41@a | "But has she no lawful means of support at all?" 702:279,42@e | "If you call it a lawful means to be singing and dancing on a 702:279,43@e | stage, she has it," 702:279,43[A ]| replied Miss*Starch, with a toss of her head; 702:279,44@e | "I thought everyone knew Marcia*Taylor, of the ***Hall." 702:279,45@a | "Oh, I have heard of her! And that is the Marcia*Taylor? I am 702:279,46@a | very much obliged to you for this information; now I shall be 702:279,47@a | able to warn my client." 702:279,48@e | "I should think so, indeed! And now, sir, if you please, I will 702:279,49@e | attend to my own business. When can I see this gentleman?" 702:279,50@a | "This evening; but I must first ask as to your means. He is 702:279,51@a | very wealthy himself, but insists on his intended possessing at 702:279,52@a | least enough to keep herself." 702:279,53@e | "To be settled on herself, of course?" 702:279,54@a | "That is as may be arranged between yourself and him." 702:279,55@e | "Well, mister, I am no pauper, and being lonely, I would not 702:279,56@e | mind getting a partner if he is as respectable as I am myself. I 702:279,57@e | brought the deeds of my property with me, and I am not ashamed 702:279,58@e | to say that I earned every pound's worth of it with my own two 702:279,59@e | hands' hard work." 702:279,60@a | "You have occasion to be proud of the fact, ma'am," 702:279,60[A ]| and I 702:279,61[A ]| took from her cotton-gloved hands the folded documents she had 702:279,62[A ]| extracted from a stiff leather bag she had held tightly on her arm. 702:279,63[A ]| On examination I found these deeds to be of four small cottages 702:279,64[A ]| in a back suburban street, and the poor soul was evidently as 702:279,65[A ]| proud of them as many would have been of owning half a dozen 702:279,66[A ]| mansions in Toorak. I returned them to her with a respectful 702:279,67[A ]| bow. 702:279,68@a | "I am sure quite satisfactory, ma'am, and if you can make it 702:279,69@a | convenient to call here again this evening at eight o'clock you 702:279,70@a | will see the gentleman himself." 702:279,71@e | "Very well," 702:279,71[A ]| she said, as she rose stiffly, as if there was not a 702:279,72[A ]| joint in her mechanism: 702:279,72@e | "and if you see him before that, you 702:279,73@e | will not forget to tell him about ""Miss*Taylor""?" 702:279,74@a | "Oh, you may be sure I will not forget that." 702:279,75@e | "Men are such fools! It is the likes of her that would draw 702:279,76@e | 'em, no doubt; but marriage is a different thing. It is like the 702:279,77@e | creature's impudence to answer a respectable gentleman's 702:279,78@e | advertisement at all." 702:279,79@a | "It is, indeed. Allow me to see you to the door, Miss*Starch. 702:279,80@a | I am sure, if my client is of my mind ~~ " 702:279,80[A ]| but the lady, not being 702:279,81[A ]| altogether gullable, made rather a threatening movement in the 701:280,01[A ]| umbrella, that caused me to secure my safety by shutting the door 701:280,02[A ]| rather abruptly. 701:280,03@a | "If ever I get mixed up with such rot again may I be blowed!" 701:280,04[A ]| I said to myself as I went back to Sodor*House and reported to 701:280,05[A ]| Mr%*Ruston. 701:280,05@a | "I wish I was well out of it." 701:280,06[A ]| Ruston's first interview with Marcia*Taylor quite infatuated 701:280,07[A ]| him with her, and the old fool greedily swallowed her protestations 701:280,08[A ]| that she had fallen in love with him at first sight. 701:280,09[A ]| The wedding was arranged for an early date, and Ruston came 701:280,10[A ]| to my office to invite me to make one at the ceremony. I declined 701:280,11[A ]| as civilly as I could, and warned him as I had warned Marcia*Taylor. 701:280,12@a | "Pause ere you go too far," 701:280,12[A ]| I said. 701:280,12@a | "If Miss*Taylor had been 701:280,13@a | an older woman I would have thought nothing of it; but when a 701:280,14@a | young, attractive woman, with a thousand pounds of her own, 701:280,15@a | shows herself even willing to marry a man of your years there is 701:280,16@a | something behind the scenes." 701:280,17@b | "There is nothing behind the scenes about you, at all events!" 701:280,18[A ]| Ruston retorted, angrily. 701:280,18@b | "You are a jealous dog, and an envious 701:280,19@b | one, and I am glad I am done with you!" 701:280,20[A ]| There was the most ridiculous change in the poor man's attire 701:280,21[A ]| already, and he had overdone it in attempting to seem youthful 701:280,22[A ]| and a match for his young \fiance=e\. 701:280,23[A ]| He had not been gone half an hour when Dick ushered into my 701:280,24[A ]| private den no other than Ruston's man, John*Bent, and I saw 701:280,25[A ]| from his face that he had found out what was going on, and had a 701:280,26[A ]| crow to pluck with me. 701:280,27@a | "Oh! is this you?" 701:280,27[A ]| I asked, coolly. 701:280,27@a | "Pray take a seat, and 701:280,28@a | tell me how you found me out?" 701:280,29@c | "I followed that scoundrel Ruston," 701:280,29[A ]| he said, 701:280,29@c | "but I little 701:280,30@c | thought I was to see you here. So you are a private*D%, are you? 701:280,31@c | You told me you were a land agent." 701:280,32@a | "I am any kind of agent you like, so that the business pays me. 701:280,33@a | But if you did not expect to find me here, what the mischief did 701:280,34@a | you want in the office?" 701:280,35@c | "Do not I tell you I followed that old villain, and I came in to 701:280,36@c | see if I could find out what on earth he was doing here." 701:280,37@a | "That is easily told. He came to invite me to his wedding." 701:280,38@c | "Good Lord!" 701:280,39@a | "And I refused, giving him a bit of my mind, too. Of course, 701:280,40@a | you know he is to marry next week?" 701:280,41@c | "It will be a dear marriage to the old fool! He gave me and the 701:280,42@c | missis a week's notice this morning ~~ a week, mind you, after our 701:280,43@c | years of service! By Heavens! I will be revenged on the old villain 701:280,44@c | if I hang for it." 701:280,45@a | "It is no doubt a great disappointment to you and your wife, 701:280,46@a | but when it comes to threats they are dangerous. You can do 701:280,47@a | nothing; if a man chooses to make a fool of himself you can not 701:280,48@a | prevent him from doing it. But I think you may safely leave 701:280,49@a | your revenge in the young wife's hands ~~ if I am not very much 701:280,50@a | mistaken she will lead Ruston a pretty dance." 701:280,51[A ]| I had to listen to a good deal more in the way of complaints and 701:280,52[A ]| threats before Bent left, and before he was well gone who should 701:280,53[A ]| march in upon me but Sarah*Starch! I saw another bit of 701:280,54[A ]| badgering before me, and took the initiative. 701:280,55@a | "Good gracious me! Miss*Starch, are you not afraid to venture 701:280,56@a | here. Ladies do not often favour me with visits, I am sorry to 701:280,57@a | say. But how, in the name of wonder, did you get my address?" 701:280,58@d | "Asked for it at the house you met me at, of course. Now, sir, 701:280,59@d | what sort of treatment do you call this?" 701:280,60@a | "About what?" 701:280,61@d | "About the old villain that advertised and put me to all this 701:280,62@d | trouble and disgrace. For what do you call it but disgrace, when 701:280,63@d | everyone knows that I answered the wretch's advertisement, and 701:280,64@d | that he would not see me after all?" 701:280,65@a | "But who told everybody? Are you not exaggerating, Miss*Starch?" 701:280,66@a | 701:280,67@d | "No, I am not; \she\ told all the neighbours, the ~~ the ~~ oh, no 701:280,68@d | name is bad enough for her!" 701:280,69@a | "Do not trouble to select a name for her ~~ she is not worth it; 701:280,70@a | and, indeed, I think she is making a hard bed for herself. Is that 701:280,71@a | story she told me about a young man having jilted her true?" 701:280,72@d | "Not it ~~ at least, not the way she tells it." 701:280,73@a | "Do you know him? What is his name?" 701:280,74@d | "His name is Fred*Chase, and he belongs to the same dance-shop 701:280,75@d | she belongs to herself. Know him, is it? Me?" 701:280,75[A ]| and the 701:280,76[A ]| lady primmed herself up stiffer than ever, and looked disdainful. 701:280,77@d | "But, indeed, I will make it my business to know him long enough 701:280,78@d | to lay him on to this new game of my lady's. If Chase does not 701:280,79@d | make it hot for her my name is not what it is!" 701:280,80@a | "What does he care if he has thrown her overboard?" 702:280,01@d | "He is one of them men you can not trust ~~ jealous as death, and 702:280,02@d | with a villainous temper for all his handsome face. When is the 702:280,03@d | old fool to be married?" 702:280,04@a | "Next week. Are you going to witness the ceremony?" 702:280,05@d | "No; but I will send Fred*Chase. Mark my words ~~ that will be 702:280,06@d | a notable wedding!" 702:280,07[A ]| But the marriage took place without any accompanying unpleasantness 702:280,08[A ]| that I could hear of, and the "happy couple" went to 702:280,09[A ]| Tasmania for a holiday. It was a short one. At the end of a 702:280,10[A ]| week I saw it announced in a society paper that 702:280,10@z | "Mr% and Mrs%*Ruston, 702:280,11@z | of Sodor*House, East*Melbourne, had returned from their 702:280,12@z | wedding tour, and would hold a reception of friends at Sodor*House 702:280,13@z | on the following Thursday." 702:280,14[A ]| It was on the Tuesday morning that this notice appeared. On 702:280,15[A ]| Wednesday morning I was knocked out of my bed at an untimely 702:280,16[A ]| hour of the morning by my old chum in the legitimate service, 702:280,17[A ]| Detective*Banner. As soon as he succeeded in waking me his 702:280,18[A ]| first question brought me instantly to my senses ~~ 702:280,18@f | "Did not you 702:280,19@f | tell me you had something to do about Mr%*Ruston's strange 702:280,20@f | marriage, Ned?" 702:280,21@a | "Yes; what of it?" 702:280,22@f | "Well, you will be able to lend us a hand, I hope. Ruston was 702:280,23@f | found murdered in Sodor*house this morning." 702:280,24@a | "Good heavens! And the wife?" 702:280,25@f | "Oh, she appears to have been sound asleep all night. Dress 702:280,26@f | yourself, like a good fellow, and come with us; we would like to hear 702:280,27@f | what you can make of it." 702:280,28[A ]| You may be sure I did not delay, and while I was getting into 702:280,29[A ]| my clothes my mind was in a whirl of interrogation. If it was 702:280,30[A ]| truly a murder who had done it? His marriage, of course, did 702:280,31[A ]| away with any former will; had he made another since the 702:280,32[A ]| ceremony? What of John*Bent's threats? What of Sarah*Starch? 702:280,33[A ]| Was it likely the fiery-tempered and jealous-minded 702:280,34[A ]| Fred*Chase had anything to do with it? 702:280,35[A ]| Of course, I was not in a position to answer any of these 702:280,36[A ]| questions. In ten minutes I was on my way to Sodor*House 702:280,37[A ]| with Banner, and in twenty we had reached it. 702:280,38[A ]| The door was opened by a man strange to me ~~ an active-looking 702:280,39[A ]| man of apparently forty or so, with a darkish beard and 702:280,40[A ]| dark hair, worn considerably longer than was then the mode. 702:280,41@a | "You are a stranger to me," 702:280,41[A ]| I said to this man as he closed 702:280,42[A ]| the door after admitting us; 702:280,42@a | "have you been long here?" 702:280,43@g | "Since Mr%*Ruston's marriage; I took John*Bent's place when 702:280,44@g | he left. My name is Ford ~~ James*Ford." 702:280,45@a | "Well, James*Ford, will you tell me all you know about this 702:280,46@a | affair before I go up to see the body?" 702:280,47@g | "Good Lord! I know nothing about it. How could I?" 702:280,48@a | "Do not you sleep on the premises?" 702:280,49@g | "Yes; at the back. Both cook and housemaid are nearer than 702:280,50@g | my room, and they heard nothing." 702:280,51@a | "Who found the body?" 702:280,52@g | "The housemaid, when she was going up with Mr%*Ruston's 702:280,53@g | hot water. It is not two hours ago. We are all of a daze yet." 702:280,54@a | "You have had a doctor?" 702:280,55@g | "Oh, yes; there is one next door; and I sent for the police as 702:280,56@g | soon as I knew what the housemaid was screeching for." 702:280,57@a | "Where was Mrs%*Ruston? How was it that she did not miss her 702:280,58@a | husband? From what Detective*Banner tells me, the body must 702:280,59@a | have been lying where it was found for hours." 702:280,60@g | "Mrs%*Ruston has not been well, and last night Dr%*Bell came 702:280,61@g | in and prescribed a draught for her. I took the prescription 702:280,62@g | round myself and got it made up. The draught was a sleeping 702:280,63@g | one, and Mrs%*Ruston never woke till the row this morning." 702:280,64@a | "What row?" 702:280,65@g | "The noise made by the housemaid." 702:280,66@a | "Come on upstairs with us. I may want to ask you something 702:280,67@a | else when I have examined the body." 702:280,68@g | "There is no*one but me to attend the door," 702:280,68[A ]| the man returned, 702:280,69[A ]| drawing back a little. 702:280,70@a | "Let the door attend itself at present. Come on." 702:280,71[A ]| Banner had preceded me, and we now followed him upstairs to 702:280,72[A ]| the first landing, a pretty sizeable space in front of a window, 702:280,73[A ]| carpeted, and with a pedestal and statue in the corner. The body 702:280,74[A ]| of the unhappy man who had engaged me in his matrimonial 702:280,75[A ]| advertisement affair was lying here on his face, in his nightshirt 702:280,76[A ]| and dressing-gown only. A chamber candlestick lay on the floor, 702:280,77[A ]| where it had apparently escaped from his outstretched hand as he 702:280,78[A ]| fell. 702:280,79@a | "Has the body been moved?" 702:280,79[A ]| I asked. 702:280,80@g | "The constable just examined it a bit, but not much. He sent 702:280,81@g | for the doctor and detectives." 701:281,01[A ]| I glanced out of the window and saw that the roof of the kitchen 701:281,02[A ]| was under it. Banner was stooping over the body. As we turned 701:281,03[A ]| it completely over we saw a pool of blood in which it had been 701:281,04[A ]| lying, and with which the front of nightshirt and gown was 701:281,05[A ]| saturated. 701:281,06@a | "What did the doctor say?" 701:281,07@g | "A bullet through the lungs." 701:281,08@f | "It is plain enough to be seen," 701:281,08[A ]| said Banner. 701:281,08@f | "You can see 701:281,09@f | the wound plain enough, and the bullet has come out under the 701:281,10@f | right shoulder. I should say it has embedded itself in that panel 701:281,11@f | where the splinters are. It seems to me that he had been coming 701:281,12@f | downstairs with the candle in his hand and been shot in the 701:281,13@f | breast, perhaps from that window; then he fell forward and bled 701:281,14@f | to death. How did you find that window this morning, Ford?" 701:281,15[A ]| asked Banner, as he threw back a curtain, showing an open 701:281,16[A ]| window. 701:281,17@g | "I have never looked at the window. I do not attend to them. 701:281,18@g | The housemaid would know. Mr%*Ruston looked after the doors 701:281,19@g | and windows at night himself ~~ he was afraid of burglars." 701:281,20@f | "Do you think this was a burglar's work?" 701:281,21@g | "How can I say? It is likely enough. Mr%*Ruston may have 701:281,22@g | heard some noise that alarmed him, and come downstairs to 701:281,23@g | investigate. If the man was recognised, he would shoot if he had 701:281,24@g | a weapon." 701:281,25@f | "Would he? How on earth do you account for the fact that a 701:281,26@f | man has been shot dead here without one in the house apparently 701:281,27@f | having heard a shot?" 701:281,28@g | "Account for it? I am not trying to account for it!" 701:281,28[A ]| Ford 701:281,29[A ]| replied, a little angrily; 701:281,29@g | "that is your business, I take it. All I 701:281,30@g | have to do is to account for myself, and I know nothing more than 701:281,31@g | what I have told you." 701:281,32@f | "Humph! We had better interview Mrs%*Ruston, Ned. You 701:281,33@f | can go and attend to your door, Mr%*John*Ford." 701:281,34@a | "What makes you so short with that man?" 701:281,34[A ]| I asked Banner; 701:281,35@a | "have you any suspicions of him?" 701:281,36@f | "No; but I do not like the look of his eyes, and he is disposed to 701:281,37@f | be insolent. When I meet with anyone that way inclined I go out 701:281,38@f | of my way to take them down a peg or two." 701:281,39[A ]| The frightened-looking housemaid having shown us into 701:281,40[A ]| the little sitting-room appropriated to Mrs%*Ruston's private use, 701:281,41[A ]| we had to wait her appearance for a few minutes, and I found 701:281,42[A ]| occupation in contrasting the very different circumstances under 701:281,43[A ]| which this woman and I had last met, and in wondering how her 701:281,44[A ]| present position would affect her. 701:281,45[A ]| When she came in I was surprised to note how very little it 701:281,46[A ]| did affect her. Beyond a sort of languor, that might have been the 701:281,47[A ]| natural result of the soporific of the previous night, I saw little 701:281,48[A ]| change. Of course she was a good deal quieter, and she had 701:281,49[A ]| donned a black dress, though it did not look much like a mourning 701:281,50[A ]| attire. 701:281,51@d | "You are Detective*Banner," 701:281,51[A ]| she said, looking at my friend; 701:281,52[A ]| and then, turning to me, she started and half laughed ~~ 701:281,52@d | "Why, you 701:281,53@d | are the matrimonial advertisement man! This is an early ending 701:281,54@d | to that business. How come you to be with the detective?" 701:281,55@a | "Because I am a detective myself, and Banner requested my 701:281,56@a | help." 701:281,57[A ]| She looked a little uneasy at me, I fancied, and as she seated 701:281,58[A ]| herself put on a little of her old self. 701:281,59@d | "You want to question me, of course," 701:281,59[A ]| she said, with a little 701:281,60[A ]| toss of her head, 701:281,60@d | "and I am quite willing; only, as you know 701:281,61@d | under what feeling the marriage between me and Mr%*Ruston was 701:281,62@d | arranged I beg of you to spare me any pretence that you think I 701:281,63@d | am sorry." 701:281,64@f | "You are not sorry that your husband has been murdered?" 701:281,65@d | "I am not sorry that I am a widow. Of course I should have 701:281,66@d | preferred to have been left one in some less shocking manner; 701:281,67@d | though, after all, I do not believe he was murdered." 701:281,68@f | "Not believe it! It is quite impossible that he could have 701:281,69@f | taken his own life as it has been taken; and there is no weapon 701:281,70@f | about. He could not have taken three steps with that bullet 701:281,71@f | through him." 701:281,72[A ]| She shrugged her shoulders. 701:281,73@d | "You will get at the bottom of it, I do not doubt; but where is 701:281,74@d | the motive for a murder?" 701:281,75@f | "Ah! you have it there ~~ we must look for that. There has 701:281,76@f | been no robbery, I understand?" 701:281,77@d | "There was little to rob. Mr%*Ruston had not an ounce of real 701:281,78@d | plate. I need not tell you how stingy he was. My few articles of 701:281,79@d | jewellery, with his watch, are in the bedroom still; though, as far 701:281,80@d | as I was concerned, they might have stolen everything, I was so 701:281,81@d | completely under the doctor's potion." 702:281,01@f | "You did not hear Mr%*Ruston leave the room in the night?" 702:281,02@d | "No; but had I done so I should have taken no notice ~~ he was 702:281,03@d | always rambling at night. I never heard of such a mania about 702:281,04@d | burglars as he had. You would have thought the house stocked 702:281,05@d | with great valuables, he was so terrified of being robbed. Oh, no! 702:281,06@d | I never wakened till that fool of a girl came screaming to the door. 702:281,07@d | I shall discharge her for it ~~ she might have frightened me into 702:281,08@d | fits if I had been a weak-minded woman." 702:281,09@f | "Whereas you are a strong-minded one?" 702:281,10@d | "Thank goodness, yes." 702:281,11[A ]| Banner had risen and gone to the window, as though to recognise 702:281,12[A ]| my claim of a previous acquaintance, but I knew well he 702:281,13[A ]| heard every word. I lowered my voice as if confidentially, and 702:281,14[A ]| bent my head nearer to the window. 702:281,15@a | "How does this leave you?" 701:281,15[A ]| I asked. 701:281,15@a | "Did he make any 702:281,16@a | settlement, or did you make your sacrifice for nothing? You 702:281,17@a | know I did my best advising you against it." 702:281,18[A ]| She smiled. 701:281,18@d | "Now, I did think that a man of your discernment 702:281,19@d | would have given me credit for a little \9nous\. Did you 702:281,20@d | think me fool enough to take any risk? I made him secure me 702:281,21@d | until the marriage, and made him sign a new will the hour the 702:281,22@d | ceremony was over." 702:281,23@a | "The poor man was quite infatuated?" 702:281,24@d | "I think I told you before that I never yet saw the man I could 702:281,25@d | not infatuate if I set my mind to it." 702:281,26@a | "No; on the contrary, you told me that there was one ~~ the 702:281,27@a | only one you cared for, too ~~ who refused to remain under your 702:281,28@a | spell." 702:281,29[A ]| A scarlet hue rose into her face, and her temper seemed about 702:281,30[A ]| to get the better of her, but she checked it by a powerful effort, as 702:281,31[A ]| she answered ~~ 702:281,32@d | "It was a mistake; do not speak of it any more." 702:281,33@a | "Well, at all events, I am glad to hear that the will is all right 702:281,34@a | for you. If it had been otherwise ~~ " 702:281,35@d | "Ah, if it had been otherwise!" 701:281,35[A ]| she interrupted, with a strange 702:281,36[A ]| smile. 701:281,36@d | "Well, things would have been different, eh? You are a 702:281,37@d | detective, you say. How long will they leave him in the house? 702:281,38@d | I shall have the servants leaving if he is not soon removed, and 702:281,39@d | then, of course, I should be obliged to get away myself. These 702:281,40@d | police affairs are so tedious. I think they like to dawdle over such 702:281,41@d | things. How soon can you get him taken away? Now, do not 702:281,42@d | look so shocked. You know I have made no pretence of being 702:281,43@d | sorry." 702:281,44@a | "Perhaps it would have been as well if you had," 701:281,44[A ]| I replied; 702:281,45@a | "but I know nothing of what you ask. The police may be able to 702:281,46@a | tell you." 702:281,47[A ]| Banner did not speak a word to her. When we left the room 702:281,48[A ]| he said, with muttered disgust: ~~ 701:281,48@f | "If that woman's fate was in my 702:281,49@f | hands, she should have short shift. She is an unfeeling wretch. 702:281,50@f | What was that allusion to the man whom she could not 702:281,51@f | fascinate." 702:281,52@a | "I will tell you all about it as soon as we have left the house." 702:281,53[A ]| And I did when we had made our examination without finding the 702:281,54[A ]| least clue that might be a guide to the murderer. We went into 702:281,55[A ]| an hotel, and in a private room I told Banner all about my first 702:281,56[A ]| interview with Miss*Taylor, and how she had told me she would 702:281,57[A ]| marry an old man with money, so that she could secure revenge 702:281,58[A ]| on the man she loved who had jilted her. 702:281,59@f | "And who was the man?" 701:281,59[A ]| Banner questioned. 702:281,60@a | "I only know about him what the woman Starch told me; and 702:281,61@a | that was not much." 702:281,62@f | "We must find out. Now, Ned, do you mean to tell me 702:281,63@f | seriously that you believed that story about being jilted, etc%, that 702:281,64@f | that woman Taylor now Ruston told you?" 702:281,65@a | "Well, I did. There was something convincing in her 702:281,66@a | manner." 702:281,67@f | "Her manner! And she a stage woman! Lord! how green 702:281,68@f | you are, Ned! I would rather trust the woman Starch twice over. 702:281,69@f | And the story is entirely an improbable one to me. How came a 702:281,70@f | woman of that sort with a thousand pounds, unless it was given 702:281,71@f | her just to entangle that poor old fool, Ruston? ""Fred*Chase,"" she 702:281,72@f | called him, did not she? And he was singing or acting at ***Hall? 702:281,73@f | It ought to be easy enough to trace him. If I were you 702:281,74@f | I would hunt up Sarah*Starch. She is one of the spiteful sort that 702:281,75@f | would be sure to keep herself \9au 9fait\ of both his doings and the 702:281,76@f | woman's." 702:281,77[A ]| It was yet early in the day when Banner and I parted, and I 702:281,78[A ]| went down towards my office considering how best to discover 702:281,79[A ]| Miss*Starch's whereabouts when my boy, Dick, met me on the 702:281,80[A ]| threshold with his finger on his lip and a cunning twinkle in his 702:281,81[A ]| eyes. 701:282,01@w | "That there woman is waiting for you in your room, sir. She 701:282,02@w | \would\ go in; I could not keep her out anyhow." 701:282,03@a | "What woman?" 701:282,04@w | "The old maidish, cranky one ~~ Miss*Starch you called her." 701:282,05[A ]| What a lucky thing! Or had she already heard of the murder? 701:282,06[A ]| I found Sarah*Starch sitting stiffly awaiting me; and I noticed at 701:282,07[A ]| once an air of triumph about the woman. 701:282,08@e | "Well, you see I am here again; though, to be sure, you did not 701:282,09@e | expect me." 701:282,10@a | "I did not; but I am very glad to see you." 701:282,11@e | "Are you? Why? If you knew I came to put money in 701:282,12@e | your pocket, no doubt you would be glad; but you could not know that 701:282,13@e | yet." 701:282,14@a | "No; I did not know that." 701:282,15@e | "Why are you glad to see me?" 701:282,16@a | "I will tell you presently. In the first place, let me know how 701:282,17@a | the money is coming my way." 701:282,18@e | "Ah, that is more like it! I am not one to be taken in with false 701:282,19@e | compliments. When I say a thing myself I mean it, and I stick 701:282,20@e | to it. Do you mind me telling you I would make that old villain pay for 701:282,21@e | treating me as he did?" 701:282,22@a | "Meaning, Mr%*Ruston? I never could see that he treated you 701:282,23@a | badly, but I remember you did threaten consequences." 701:282,24@e | "That you paid no attention to. Oh, no, of course not! What 701:282,25@e | could a poor woman do? If it had been a clever private detective, 701:282,26@e | now, like yourself, that had sworn to be revenged on him or her, 701:282,27@e | he would have had a chance of being able to keep his word. But, 701:282,28@e | although I am only a woman, I have kept mine." 701:282,29@a | "How?" 701:282,29[A ]| I managed to ask, though I could hardly get the word 701:282,30[A ]| out. Was this unfortunate woman going to confess that she had 701:282,31[A ]| murdered Ruston? 701:282,32@e | "By spyin' and watchin'! what I would not have done ~~ only to 701:282,33@e | take it out of that brazen piece, Marcia*Taylor ~~ not for all the gold 701:282,34@e | you could give me! Mark my words, her reign will be a short 701:282,35@e | one! I have that to tell her besotted old man that will make him 701:282,36@e | turn her out on the street, where she ought to be!" 701:282,37[A ]| I drew a breath of relief; she did not know of Ruston's death yet. 701:282,38@a | "Tell me about it," 701:282,38[A ]| I said. 701:282,39@e | "I am going to. Well, see here now, I was as sure that she 701:282,40@e | would stick to Fred*Chase, through thick and thin, in spite of the 701:282,41@e | quarrel she reported, that, from the day her grand marriage was 701:282,42@e | settled, I set to and watched Chase. Both he and she lodged in 701:282,43@e | the same street with me, and on the day she left town Chase 701:282,44@e | disappeared from his lodgings. I lost track of him for a day or 701:282,45@e | two, and then I found out, by chance, that he had taken another 701:282,46@e | room, under another name, in Shore-street. As soon as I found 701:282,47@e | out which was his window, I moved into an empty house that had 701:282,48@e | a window so close to his that I could almost have stepped from 701:282,49@e | one sill to the other ~~ \you\ could at all events. 701:282,50@e | No*one suspected there was anyone in that house that had the 701:282,51@e | ""To Let"" up in the front, and there are venetian blinds to all the 701:282,52@e | windows. I did not see much of Chase until last night, and then I 701:282,53@e | saw plenty." 701:282,54@a | "What did you see?" 701:282,55@e | "I saw the beauty, Mrs%*Ruston, and him in that room together 701:282,56@e | in the dead of night, and they were plotting something together, 701:282,57@e | and had jewellery and things packing up." 701:282,58@a | "Good God! you must have been mistaken! Mrs%*Ruston out 701:282,59@a | last night!" 701:282,60@e | "Yes; Mrs%*Ruston out last night!" 701:282,60[A ]| she repeated, mimicking 701:282,61[A ]| me. 701:282,61@e | "How shocked you are, as if she never did such a thing 701:282,62@e | before. Faugh!" 701:282,63@a | "Oh, you do not understand, Miss*Starch! Pray tell me what 701:282,64@a | time it was you saw this woman in the room you speak of?" 701:282,65@e | "It was not far off three in the morning ~~ it struck three on the 701:282,66@e | Town*Hall clock just after they left." 701:282,67@a | "They left together?" 701:282,68@e | "Oh, sure! they sneaked out into the right-of-way like a pair of 701:282,69@e | burglars." 701:282,70@a | "How could they come and go unknown to the people of the 701:282,71@a | house?" 701:282,72@e | "Oh, bless you! it is a detached back room; he took care of 701:282,73@e | that." 701:282,74@a | "In the name of heaven, Miss*Starch, try to recall everything 701:282,75@a | you heard or saw at that interview. It is of more consequence 701:282,76@a | than you guess." 701:282,77@e | "No, it is not. I know what the consequence will be to \her\ 701:282,78@e | well. I came here to-day to pay you to take me to old Ruston 701:282,79@e | and witness what I had to say to him. \I\ know the consequence. 701:282,80@e | I did not hear much, but I saw a good deal. I should say the old 701:282,81@e | man will miss some valuables when he comes to look. They were 702:282,01@e | packing them, I tell you. One thing puzzled me ~~ he burned his 702:282,02@e | stick." 702:282,03@a | "Burned his stick! What stick?" 702:282,04@e | "The one he used to walk with, I suppose. At all events, he 702:282,05@e | brought it into the room with him last night and stood it in a 702:282,06@e | corner. Then they had a whisper over it and he broke it up, I 702:282,07@e | think; at all events, I saw her put a match to some kindlers, and 702:282,08@e | he rolled the stick up in something ~~ so as it would not make a 702:282,09@e | crackling noise, I guess ~~ and then he laid it on the fire." 702:282,10[A ]| I was naturally greatly excited while the woman was complacently 702:282,11[A ]| telling me of these details. If they were true, the murderers 702:282,12[A ]| were discovered, for Chase and the woman were in collusion, 702:282,13[A ]| and had, doubtless, been accomplices in the plot to secure the old 702:282,14[A ]| man's money all along. I must get hold of Banner at once and 702:282,15[A ]| examine that room; perhaps we might, at the same time, have 702:282,16[A ]| an opportunity of arresting Chase. 702:282,17@a | "Well, you give me the number of that house in Shore-street, 702:282,18@a | and tell me what name he took the room under ~~ I mean Fred*Chase." 702:282,19@a | 702:282,20@e | "Oh, you have no time to bother about that now ~~ you have 702:282,21@e | to take me to old Ruston. Every minute seems an hour to me 702:282,22@e | till I have the satisfaction of facing that Marcia*Taylor and 702:282,23@e | exposing her. And I do not know that he deserves it either, for ~~ 702:282,24@e | of course ~~ if he loses the beauty he will save his money. I did 702:282,25@e | hear that the fool made everything over to her, but when he hears 702:282,26@e | \my\ news he will make a new will, I should say." 702:282,27@a | "Ruston will never make another will, Miss*Starch." 702:282,28@e | "Why?" 702:282,29@a | "Because he is lying cold and stiff in Sodor*House." 702:282,30@e | "Dead?" 702:282,30[A ]| she shrieked, with both hands upraised. 702:282,31@a | "Murdered last night. Now do you see why you must tell me 702:282,32@a | Fred*Chase's new name?" 702:282,33@e | "The name he took the lodging under is James*Ford. And so 702:282,34@e | the old man has been murdered? Oh, Lord! what a world of sin 702:282,35@e | it is!" 702:282,36[A ]| "James*Ford" ~~ the man who had taken John*Bent's place! A 702:282,37[A ]| cold-blooded plot surely, and one that left no more pity for the 702:282,38[A ]| murderers than if they had been wild beasts, whom it was a duty 702:282,39[A ]| and a justice to destroy. In an hour after I had got rid of Sarah*Starch, 702:282,40[A ]| Banner and I were searching Fred*Chase's room in Shore-street, 702:282,41[A ]| and "James*Ford" was hard and fast in the lockup; but 702:282,42[A ]| his accomplice, the woman best known to us as Marcia*Taylor, 702:282,43[A ]| had disappeared, and so completely that no trace of her has ever 702:282,44[A ]| been discovered. Whether she meant to play Chase false from 702:282,45[A ]| the beginning, or only fled when she fancied suspicion in Banner's 702:282,46[A ]| face that morning, it is impossible to decide; all we know is that 702:282,47[A ]| she hurriedly packed a bag and left the house shortly after we did. 702:282,48[A ]| Chase was arrested at Sodor*House, and was loudly indignant, 702:282,49[A ]| until he heard of the discoveries at his lodgings in Shore-street, 702:282,50[A ]| and the evidence Miss*Starch was prepared to offer; then he was 702:282,51[A ]| silent, and remained so until the last, when he was duly executed. 702:282,52[A ]| Miss*Starch's evidence was fully corroborated by the results of 702:282,53[A ]| our search. Several articles of jewellery and plate and a considerable 702:282,54[A ]| sum of money, all belonging to poor Ruston, were found, as 702:282,55[A ]| she had said, packed ready for removal; and in the fireplace the 702:282,56[A ]| remains of the "stick" she had spoken of, which proved to have 702:282,57[A ]| been an air-gun of quite an elaborate mechanism. The use of 702:282,58[A ]| this weapon accounted for the fact that no report had been heard 702:282,59[A ]| on the night of the murder. 702:282,60[A ]| If Ruston made a will in his wife's favour it was not to be 702:282,61[A ]| found, and after some delay his property passed over to distant 702:282,62[A ]| relatives. 702:282,63[A ]| About two years after the above events my boy (now promoted 702:282,64[A ]| to the desk, and in a fair way to become a smarter private man 702:282,65[A ]| than his employer) came into the office one day with his face all 702:282,66[A ]| lighted with enjoyment. He had been at the bank, and reported 702:282,67[A ]| having encountered Miss*Starch with an escort. 702:282,68@w | "Such a funny little man!" 702:282,68[A ]| Dick declared ~~ 702:282,68@w | "as puckery faced 702:282,69@w | as an old Chinaman! She knew me at once, and told me she was 702:282,70@w | going to be married to this gentleman. And she was that proud 702:282,71@w | of the little old chap that it was as good as a play!"