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of the insult that had been put upon her,
because lie would undoubtedly- sacrifice
OTTftrrl liinnr f A cummnrw l 4
Ids information, together with the al
leged name of the mysterious gentleman.
TAR\
next morn
ing. while the
judge and Pau
line were sitting
over their break
fast, he said: “By
the way, my dar-
: ' ling, you remern-
6er u«y saying
yesterday that
that person—the
black haired
man, whom I
paid a check to,
reminded me of
some one?” ' n* - *'• mJ l . *
Pauline, who had been sitting in a
listless and pensive posture, instantly
brightened up and expectation sparkled
in her eyes. anuroK* a
v Yes, I remember 1 Have you tliought
■who ifc is?"
‘‘It occurred to me last night, or-cariy
this morning, while I was lying awake.
The name ho gave yesterday evening—
'John—something"’—- : -
“John Crush.”
“John Crush—yes; that was not the
name of the person I am thinking of. I
don’t mean to imply that his name may
not have been John Grusti.' But ho cer
tainly bears a remarkable resemblance
to another man wham you, I think,-
never saw, but whose name will be famil^
iar to you.”
“Who? tell me!"
Tho judge was a litt le surprised at her
impatience. “Mind you. it’sorily a fancy
of mine," he said. “Perhaps I shouldn't
have mentioned it; out it had Sue’
odd relation to a nu tter very ne:
you. Of course, however, it is im
bio that the person who was here last
niglit can be the man I refer to."
“But who is it?"
‘‘He reminded mo of Horaco Du pee,"
said tho judge. . “Of course you know
whom I mean. I was not personally en
gaged in the trial, .but I dropped Into
the court one day, and watched the pro
ceedings for half on hour. That was the
only occasion on which 1 ever 6aw Du
pee. He was a striking looking fellow’,
and 1 retained an unusually distinct
memory of his features. This man Crush
looks a good deal older than Dupee did
—though, to be suro, it was several
years ago.” ... -
“Will ydu -have some more coffee,
deqf?”-asked Pauline.
“No more, thank you. I’ll go and
smoko a cigar, and th an— How is your
mother feeling this morning?”
“About the same. 1 have an idea it
might bo good for her to get up to break
fast in tho mornings. I think she could,
if 6ho tried. Perhaps a stimulus of some
sort would benefit her—some great piece
of news, for instance.
“Possibly. But I hardly think thero
is any news that would bo likely to in
terest your mother. iSho hardly ever so
much as looks in a newspaper.
“I don’t mean news of that kind. But
if, for instance, she should hear that the
thief who committed the robbery of
everything to inflict summary punish- It was n name I had heard before, and I
ment upon the blackmailer. She had had even met the genjleman himself. So,
therefore decided'to pay the latter a sum Lwhen tho steamer was announced. I took
of money, giving him to understand that ‘ half ***' hour and went down to the wharf
no more would be forthcoming for a to sa i’ 6°od day to him. And then, Mrs.
month; and in the course of that month * Ketelle, acuirious thing happened.”
IfflrW&ed to turn all her energies to ! He paused and fixed his eyes on her.
the task of clearing Percy, by some
means or other, of the old charge which
60 hampered and obstructed him. fcjhe
would then be free to deal witiilhe black
mailer at her leisure, and'slvo intended,
to punish him to the full extent of the
law.
But the revelation of
identity changed the whole i
case. To Pauline it had been totally un- j
expected; and yet In looking back she
could fancy that she had known him in
tuitively from tho first. Be that as it
might, it was a triumph morecomplete ’
than she had ever, dared to anticipate.
Dupee was the man who Iiad ntiurdered
her brother Jerroltl; he (as site believed)
was the man who had cast a nearly fatal
6lftdow dver the career c»f Percy; and he,
again, delivered himself, bound hand
and foot, in ip hgr power by perpetrating
upon her the crime of blackmail. She ?
had liim securely, tor though he had
given a false name the judge would be
able to identity him as the- recipient of
the check, and the case against him
would thu£jbe proved. He would be ar
rested on that charge, and then it would
go hard, but the whole truth should como
She regarded Percy as
as free, and was strongly impelled
tQ go and tell him the story at once; but,
.t bt, she
ifiity liad
apd then bring him 1
there should be no element
_ i. She wislied, moreover, ...
, joy the pleasure of managing; the affair
lerself, withotrt cither her husband’avjr
her brother s help.
Having determined in her own mind
her plan of proceedings, she waited 'Until
her husband had started on his daily
trip to his.ofrice,. and then she put on her
cloak and bonnet and went out herself.
It was a fine, clear forenoon. It was
not the first tin\e she hail visited police
headquarters, and she knew the way
thither. The squalid denizens of Bleecker
and Mulberry streets stared at the hand
some lady as she passed by, but she was
too 11‘f eh preoccupied by the matter in
hand to notice their observation. She
mounted the steps of the big white faced
building with a light heart, and asked to
be admitted to see Inspector Byrnes.
She had just put the question to the
sergeant when the inspector came out,
in hat and overcoat He recognized her
immediately, and lifted his hat with a
smile.
You are gojjng out," she said. “When
can 1 see youif
I am not going out,” was his reply.
"I am going to ask you to come into my
office and have a talk* If you had not
come here I might have called on you
today. Como in.” And he conducted
her to the inner room.
Now, then,” lie said, when they were
seated, “what is the news?" . . .
It is you who should have news for
which ; Percy was accused was. caught
and convicted; or (if it were possibly)
that Percy himself is not dead, but had
in some strange way escaped!'
“All, yes; Such news would give her
fresh Iife. no doubt. But we must not
let our imagination take so wide a range.”
“It is not impossible. Why may not
Percy be alive? No one has seen lus dead
body. Why may he not return 6ome
day? Men have often returned w ho were
thought to be iost for years and years.
“Why, my dear, do hot let your mind
run on such thought!! You are excited
already. We must not hope to see Percy
again."
After a pause Pauline said, “If he
were to come back do you think he would
be arrested on that old charge?"
- “Speaking from' the legal point of
view. I suppose he would be."
“But suppose lie were to come back—
suppose he were in New York now—
would it be unsafe forliim to be seen'or
to have it known? Would ho have to
keep in hiding until liis innocence could
be proven?"
“My dearest wife,
gently, “the law cannot
sentiment. If it were sc..
to be the law. I do not
d the judgo,
by
ter and
in
afTected
would
say tliat,
ceasing to bo the law, it might not, in
certain instance&become something bet-
lo.ily in ccrthin
As to Percy’s case,
is no reason to suppose that he
“J*M, ,
: is almost
prosecutor
would not appear; and the government
would scarcely take up the (natter. No;
Percy would be arreat^d and certain for
malities gono through with, and—but.'
bless my soul, I am talking as if the poor
boy were still in this world! God bless
him! He is far beyond the reach’ of
worldly justice or injustice how!" Ofi
i With these words the good judge got
up, and after kissing hig wife’s hand in
a chivalrous fashion of his, he went into
the library to smoke his cigar.
Pauline loved her husband, but she
was glad to be alone at that moment.
She was-wrought opto
excitement, and felt the
dealing with her thoughts and
in private. She went up to her boudoir,
and locked herself in.
• - Since the occurrence of the day before
she had more than once been on the
point of revealing the whole matter to
her husband. Had it concerned herself
alone, she would liave done so at the
outset. But the'secret was Percy’s ia
the first place, an J she could not tel!
how she had been blackmailed without
revealing his presence in the city. No'
doubt the. judge would keep the secret,
for her ante; •if for no other reason;
but she had f reflected that it could
do no good to Percy to have him
know it; and if Percy’s presence should
happen to be discovered in any other
way it might prove awkward for the
judge to have been found in tho position
of sheltering a fugitive from justice. On
the other hand, si,e.could not tell Percy
me, " she returned;,smiling. “I'm sure
you have had time to find out a dozen
such mysteries as the one 1 asked you
about."
The inspector, wore an amused look.
“When you want" to bamboozle an old
hand like me," he said, "you must first
of all learn to command your face. You
must not look happy if you expect me to
believe that you are miserable. If you
have lost a brother, you must not look as
if you had found one!”
Pauline blushed and got a tittle fright
ened. “It was not my brother that 1
asked you to find. Inspector Byrnes,"
she said.
“No, the brother was to he thrown in,
I suppose! This is fine weather we are
having just uow, Mrs. Ketelle,” he add
ed, in another tone. “Capital for exer
cise!”
“I beg your pardon.”
. He laughed. “You live: up ; near the
park,"'bfe said. “Would it b# too far
for you to walk up to One Hundred and
Twenty-fifth street, or that neighbor
hood?"
“To One Hundred .and Twenty-fifth
street?"
“By. die wa;
something
enlighten me. There
friend of mino in tow
the name of Clifton,
took.ifter the ini
s me of
y be able to
is an English
gentle
is over
of
thaf the hen
itary owner of this estate lately
ceased, and it b
the next man in the succession. It was
known tliat lie liad gone to New Zea
land, but uipon investigation there it ap
peared, that lie had left on a visit to this
country. Finally news of him was re-
Cei veil from Mexico. Does tho story in
terest you?"
“Let me hear,* she said.
“ Weil, in Mexico a man answering to
his name was found; but on being told
of his inheritance, he declared that he
would have nothing to do with it, That j
seemed odd; for people are not In the
habit of throwing away threerquarters of
a million of money. Just then a person
appeared on tlva scene who affirmed tliat
ho repre
in the other way, an impostor would he
the last man in the world whom one .
would expect to let a great property slip J ...
between liis Queers. Mv EnHishfriend rece j vc
She 6at before him with her liands tight
ly clasped in her lap, her Ups compressed
and her eyes dark "with emotion.
“The gentleman whom 1 saw,” con
tinued tho inspector, “was not the one
named in the telegram, but it was an in
timate friend of his, whom 1 had also
met before. He Had, however, been re
ported dead. But seeing him alive and
well, though somewhat changed in ap
pearance, 1 came to the conclusion that
perhaps a mistake had been made, and
that it was the friend who had died”
But Pauline could restrain herself no
longer. She lifted her hands slightly
and let them fall again.
“He was :» dear friend of mino,” silo
6aid, while tho tears came into her <»yes;
vhe waa a good'friend to Percy I see
you know all, inspector; you seem to
know everything! Vv hat are ; you going
to do with him?”
CHAPTER XXIL
JOHN CRUSH.
HAT am I going
to do with him?'
tho inspector re
peated. “Why. T
havo been under
t li e impression
that lie was al
ready in the best
of hands and
would need no at
tention frdm me!”
f|f “ A h, don't
1 laugh at me! If
you mean harm
^ $ t o him, let me
"V/0 S know it. It was
by my advice that lie kept in hiding. If
he were arrested here it would ruin his
position in Mexico, even if ho were re
leased again immediately.”
“Now, Mrs. Ketelle, let us understand
each other,” said tho inspector, becoming
grave and business like. “You asked
me, a year ago, to clear the memory of
your brother, whom you believed to be
dead, of the stain that had been put j
upon it, by discovering and punishing
the real perpetrator, of the crime lie was
accused of. I told you that I would do
what I could, aud I liave kept my word.
By and by you discover that your brother
is not dead after all, and is in Now York.
Don’t you think it would have been a
kind and courteous acton your part to
have come to nie and told me of •it?*'
“Be is my brother,” was her reply.
“I could think of nothing before his wel
fare. I ha ve told no one that he is here,
or that he is alive—not even my mother
nor my husband. I know that you are
an officer of the law, aud that when you
saw your duty you would have no choice
but to execute it. 1 hoped that the real
; criminal would be found, and so all turn
outright."
| “I don't know as I ought to expect you
to care more for the law than you do for
your brother," remarked the detective,
stroking his chin; "and perhaps l should
feel complimented tliat you expected the
; real criminal, as you call him, to be
tracked and captured out of hand. But
America is a large place, and the po-
police have a number of things to look
after; and, a^you know, it is one thing
to suspect a man, and another to convict
him. Ab to Mr. Percy Nolen, 1 will only
say, at present, that 1 havo thought it
! sufficient to keep one eye on him; liis ar
rest is not necessary at this stage of the
proceedings."
i “1 thank you, Inspector Byrnes," Pau-
1 line said, "whether you considered me in
I your action or net. But have you heard
1 nothing of—of Horace Dupee?"
j The inspector raised his head and con-
; tcmplated her gravely,
j “So you continue to think it was Hor
ace Dupee who stole the money?" tie said.
“On', I am sure of it!”
j “But would you go on the stand today
and swear to It?”
“1 could not do that,” she replied re
luctantly. “I have not the evidence; 1
only feel that it was he.”
“Then, if you liad the evidence, it
w.Quid be all riglit?"
“.Yes, indeed. Have you found any
thing?" she asked eagerly?
“Well, that depends on wliat one con-
— q drawer
11, 1889
Pauline gazed at ihe ins^tor in as
tonishment. ' ,
M You know about ♦tliat too.’' she cx-
claimed at length. ’
“Why not? What is there so wonder
ful in that?” he returned, composedly.
“1 suppose nothing seen»s wonderful
to you,” replied she; “but I confess I had,
expected to surprise you in regard to
that! Well, then; if you know that 1
have seen him. 1 suppose that you know
all tliat passed between us. also’?"
“No, no,” rejoined the inspector, laugh
ing, “my knowledge stops at the fact of
the Interview. Wliat you said to each
other you will have to tell me If you wish
• me to know it."
“It was in order to tell you that I came
here,” said Pauline; and she went on to
give an account of the whole affair, the
inspector listening to her wit’i close at
tention. Her narrative was clear aty
precise.
“Do you think that he was aware that
you were tho r.ister of Jerrold and Percy
Nolen?" he asked, after she had finished.
“He must liave known iu I was mar
ried only a short time ago, and my
maiden name was in the.papers.”
“Dots it not seem odd that he should
have imide this attempt upon a vyomau
:ed.”
kuew it!”
It'also a
the robbery,
to San Fran
I “Yes, yes,
arrest!"
| ^‘Shortly
j tinued tho
' thousand dollar 1
that immediately after
e left New York and went
knew ill He fled to escape
val there,” con-
ively, “a
note vv as presented
to be cashed there, which "was issued by
ion here in New York,
whose brother lie had murdered? Mur
derers are usually more careful, if noth
ing else. I think we shall find, Mrs. Ke
telle, that he is innocent of that crime.
As regards; the robbery I say nothing;
but I have never thought it likely that a
fellow like Dupee would commit a mur
der so peculiarly cold blooded unci com
paratively unprovoked as that would
iiave been. But if he was wrohgly
charged with it it is quite conceivable
that lie may liave embraced this oppor
tunity to revenge himself upon a member
of the family that brought liim to ruin.”
"You may be right.”
“I believe it will turn out so. But
there is another point suggested by your
story. It is-quite certain that he did not
know your - brother, for if lie had ho
would not.have attempted to blackmail
you on Isis account—or, at any rate, not
on the ground that lie put forward.”
“Yes, there can be no doubt about
that,” Paulme assented.
“Then don't you see it lias a bearing
on the robbery? Your theory has been
that he committed the robbery partly, at-
least, iu order to have your brother ar
rested for it. But as lie did not know
your brother by sight that’ theory will
not stand. If we. consider hini to have
been the thief, liis involving your brother
in the scrape must have been merely a
coincidence. Your brother happened to
be talking to the lady, and his overcoat
pocket happened to be the one in which
the purse could most conveniently Le
dropped. If Mrs. Tunstall's husband,
instead of your brother, had been in your
brother's place, the evidence, so far as
the purse was concerned, would have
pointed at him."
“Tliat is logical—I cannot deny it,”
said Pauline. “But it does not show his
innocence of the robbery; it only shows
that lie iiad not the motive for commit
ting it that I supposed lie had; it was not
revenge—it was vulgar pocket picking!”
“Well, tli.it is as it may be. But let
me refer to another jioint in your story.
You said that the name he gave to your
husband was Crush—John Crush?"
“Yes, but of Course it was an assumed
name.”
“No doubt: but it is curious ti tfit he
should have assumed tliat particular
name instead of another.”
“Why not tliat as well as any?"
“Because it is the name of another
man—a real man, that is. a fellow who
lias been a companion and Ultimate of
Dupee's for some years past. John Crush
went with Dupee to California and re
turned with him. It was lie who pointed
you out to Dupee in the park, the day
you first saw your brother. It was lie
who suggested to Dupee that it might be
a profitable job to blackmail you.”
How did you learn all that,'Inspector
Byrnes?”
“I might tell you that I learned it by
de|ective intuition, or some other sort of
witchcraft But the simple truth is that
John Crush told met"
“He told you? lie is one of. your men,
then?’
Not at all! But he has done me good
service on this occasion, nevertheless.”
But * * • 1 don’t think I under
stand!”
it is such a thing as happens every
day. John Crush was arrested last night
for attempting to take a man’s watch an
ah elevated train. It is not the first time
we have had dealings with him, and
when he was brought in he realized that
he would probably be sent-up for a long
term. Bo lie resolved to get even with a
man who had ‘gone back on hira/gs he
expressed it: And that man was Horace
Dupee.”
“They had quarreled?"
“Precisely. And the quarrel was
About you. When Crush proposed
blackmailing you, Dupee had pooh-
poohed it; but he did so only in order to
have all the profits to himself. Having
got rid of Crush, as he supposed, he fol
lowed you about, and traced you to your
that I believed, If Dupee had liad any
thing to do with tho robbery, that Crush
had been equally guilty. He denied it
at first, but finally admitted that he liad
discovered the fact that Mrs. Tunstall
was in the habit of going about town
with large sums of money in her jiocket,
and upon my pushing him still further
he added that lie had pointed her out to 1
Dupee on the morning of the crime, and
had waited- outside the jeweler’s shop
while Dupee was doing the work inside.
According to liis account, Dupee had not •
acted 6quarely with him on this occa- ■
sion either; lie had refused to giveliima
fair share of the plunder, -but Crush had
postponed betraying his dissatisfaction
until he could give it some practical
effect. He gave a number of. details
which coincided with facts that I had
previously ascertained, and convinced
me that lus story was substantially
true." :
“Thank heaven!” exclaimed Pauline.
“Oh, my dear brother!”
“Wait a moment!" rejoined the de
tective. “We are not quite out of the
woods yet! On making a review of the
evidence at our disposal, l doubted
whether It would be 'safe to'cause Du
pec’s arrest on ’the robbery charge. If
tve should fail td hold him we might bid
him good-by; he would never be seen
here again. But if I cqul J.get from you
a confirmation of the blackmail story,
and especially if you could prpve actual
payment of money, then pur course
would bo much simpler. VVe could ar
rest and hold liim on that ground with
out any doubt, and the rest, unless I am
greatly mistaken, will come of Itself."
“I can certainly provo the payment."
said Pauline. “My husband aud the
-beck arc* both in evidence."
“Very good; and now," said the in
spector; lowering liis voice arid leaning
forward, “let life explain to you a little
plan 1 liave formed for bringing this
thing to a head. ” ■*
r ,..
en in
to him that
between jiis fingers.
terious -genii
New York, and H
it might be a good plan to come on here
ami see if he could learn any tiling more
about him. .
“Now, it so happens that I have aq ac
quaintance in Mexiqo who makes a point
of knowing what^ goes on there, and
whenever he hears of anything tliat he
thinks might interest me he drops me a
line, or sends a telegram, if there is any
hurry. He liad hoard about this affair 1
speak of, and also that tho mysterious
gentleman had had an interview with
some government officials, and immedi
ately afterwards liad left Mexico en route
for the United States. He telegraphed
CHAPTER XXIII. -.
THE SHADOW LIFTED.
Y 10 o’clock tl\?
next morning all
Inspector Byrnes
preparations
were complete,
down To the least
detail; and there
was nothing left
to do but wait for
the fly to walk
into the web.
Horace Dupee,
after receiving
his check, put it
in his pocket with
tho intention of
man!”
ntly.
returned the
his head “It takes
make a conviction,
t the note was
lorace Dupee, and even
d still bo possible that hi
from some one else.
Mrs. Ketelle, we cannot arrest Dupee on
that evidence. If we could find any pre
text for arresting him, either on this
charge or on any other, then it might be
| possible to complete our evidence as to
! this. But the power to do that is unfor
tunately wanting.”
‘ I understand you that if any one
t a charge against him on another
you could obtain a conviction on
this?” *<>/.*» $
“1 don’t promise we would do it; I
only say it might be possible. But at
any rate 1 think it would do no harm if
you would tell me all about your inter
views with Dupee and what.caihe of it.”
brother’s lodgings in Barlem. What ho
did there you know. But Crush had
distrusted him, and found out the double
game he was playing, lie bore him a
grudge for it; and early thie morning
he sent word to me that he had some
thing to communicate. 1 went down
stairs and saw him in his cell. He told
me of Dupee’s bad faith, andsaid;tlmt I
would find that Dupee had actually re
ceived money from you. 1 acted as if 1
placed no.credit in Iris nccusation; and
upon that he went on aud declared that
Dupee had, a year ago. committed a rob
bery for which an innocent man was ar
rested. Yes, Mrs. Ketelle, it was the
Tunstall robbery that he mentioned. I
asked him how he knew and. he said
mat he was intimate with Dupee at th*
time, and that when Percy Nolen was
arrested Dupee had laughed and re
marked that it was a good 1 job; lie was
glad to liave done a -Nolen an ill turn,
and that. he hoped Noleu might rot in
. jail while he was spending the money
Nolen was imprisoned for.”
“Oh, the villain!” murmured'Pauline,
<vith dilating eyes. *
• “I told Crush," continued the inspector,
• *• * 7 *?• C 2Tt
getting it-cashed at the bank on the mor
row. But in order to do this it would be
necessary that he bo identified. This
would not be a particularly easy matter
in any case, and , the less so because the
name on it was not his own. At length
he decided to get it cashed through some
friend. He was reluctant to have it
known to any one that he had had any
dealings with Judge Ketelle, and it was
partly on this account that lie had given
Crush's name. But it was an annoyance
and a risk even so, and he promised him
self that he would not be caught with a
chock again hi a hurry.
Late that night he succeeded in cash
!ng the check over the bar of an inn in
the lower part of the-city, where he was
lodging. The landlord of the inn was a
depositor at the bank on which the check
was .drawn. This was on Wednesday.
The next .day, Thursday (the day of Pau
line’s interview with the inspector), the
check was sent to the bank to be turned
in with the' other receipts. On Thursday
evening the check came back marked N.
C. Dupee was not in the hotel at the time;
but he entered.- about 11 o’clock. The
hotel keeper, called his attention to the
dishonored check, and demanded from
him payment of the face atiibunt. Dupee
had by tint tinie spent a good deal of
the eighty dollars; but rather tliftn have
any disturbance he deposited fifty dol
lars. and promised to goto the bank the
next day and have the thing straight
ened out.
But though he carried, it off with _
composed face, he was in reality filled
with rage and apprehension.
What could be the meaning of It?
chock signed by Judge Ketelle refused
at his own bankl Was it a mistake, an
accideht, or a deliberate plan?. A mis
take it could hardly be; there was notic
ing ambiguous in the wording of /’
check, and Dupee had made sure ti
the date and all the minor details had
been correctly entered. The probability
was. greater of its being an accident.
Judge Ketelle might have inadvertently
overdrawn his account. If this were the
case, the matter could be easily rectified.
But. on the pther hand, the third contin
gency remained—that the chbck iiad
been stopped by special direction. If
that were so, it meant that Mrs. Ketelle
had declared war. She had resolved to
defy him. She fancied, perhaps, that he
would not have the courage to carry out
his threat and reveal her intrigue to
her bushapd. “Well, if that were her
idea, she would discover her mis taka
He would reveal her shame, whatever
the consequences to himself. He would
blast her life; not only her husband, but
the whole world should know what she
had done; and if he suffered imprison
ment‘for it, at any rate the tihae would
come when he would again be free, and
then he pould seek her out and taunt her
with her’ ignominy. For time would
bring no freedom to her,
This bitterness of malice on his part
was partly characteristic of fhe nature
of the man; but there was in it an ' ele
ment of exceptional animosity. Almost
all criminals who have fallen from
higher social position lay the responsi
bility of their, degradation at the door of
some person or combination of circum
stances outside of themselves. So it was
with Dupee, who dated the beginning of
his misfortune from the day when ho
was arrested on the charge of murder by
the father of Jerrold ■ Nolen. Pauline
and her mother were flic only living rep
resentatives (as lie believed) of that man.
They should suffer a vicarious punish
ment. Sostron '' '
tnis punishment inn,„,
hoped Mrs. K,Ml “ ,
fate. Th.BHWSga
matter, l,o-vg vcr u >«Stt
eOem that thia could be«?
ever she might think 3i
.the poBriUlity fi
vyas too serious a one '***?
rnzmg this, Dupee nr«
either contingency q S red
Judge Ketelle’s office J7-X
the refusal of the check J fSfl
ittobe an ordinary bil^*
the judge redeemJf Ul ^**
4JOod. the matter
Resent at any rate,
on the contrary. res!LC' n '5l
offered to his Claim, £ sllo s)
to defend himself. ° u ^j]
It was about 11 o’cloe'r „-i
ed the steps of the jSjjS
street. The rooms were on
there was an outer office
three inner rooms opening*‘Q
other. Two or three clerks?
in the outer rooiiiwhen n>. Cret| i|
H- asked one of them if t£° <5! 3
were within*
“Bll see. sir." rophecl the clerk i l
Up. "What name shall I t- u -V’H
"Say Mr. Crush wants ?/. I
moment—Mr. John Crush"
’The cleric went into lb ia ,.. ,
dnd soon came back with ,• •!
that Mr. Crush would sin, i.-l'T.
peo passed through the door vtJl
closed behind him. n e
in a handsomely furnished i, arS ...^_
the window of which Jud-'d
at his desln The judge barjjl
chair and asked him to h 0 w . . ? r
think you were up at rayhou^t! i
evening," lie remarked. "1 m-o-
name and the face.”
“You are quite right, jud-v
Dupee, assuming an easy ul
on a matter connected with L *■
you on that occasion tliat I haveta
to trouble you now. There •
you remember?”
“Perfectly. A chock for tin s
eighty dollars. Well?”
“Well, there Geems to hr.ypbeej, E
difficulty or misunderstanding-^ *
biy the cashier at tho batik n^dta
stupid mistake; but, anyhow,d*
jvas returned yesterday, ruaiid
good.' 1 thought you would
know about it.”
“Hum! I am not in tho habit of h
ihg my checks returned, certain!?,’
the judge. " Let me see; oa what
was the check drawn?”
“The Battery bank," replied Dap*
“I will tel! you hclw sucliac
might occur, Mr. 0rush*,'"saidthe
after a short pause. ”1 keep
at several banks. Sometimes cm
other of these accounts runs out
am aware of it My wife lias a
account, whicli tsat the Battery
In writing the cheek tire other era
may have inadvertently used hen
book, my own account being exhaudj
The fact that she had money there ml
of course not wa rrant the cashier hji
ing my check. I do not assert fail
is the explanation; hut it might bt*
.“To be sure; nothing more likely,’
joined Dupee. “But, at all events,
check having been returned, I supp
you will liave no objection to
another?”
-•There would be some other corii
atiorus involved in tliat, Mr. Orusli;a
the judge, bending an intent look at
pee. “May 1 ask you, in the first pis
what this payment was for?'
It was for a purchase made byU
Ketelle, sir,” said Dupee, soiuewlnt^
fused by this unexpected queatkn,
purchase at—at our store— lannal
man there, and”
“AVhat store i9 it you speak off;
manded tlve judge.
Casteiiani's, on Broadway," repis
Dupee, giving the first name faq
curred to him, and feeling a little m3 j
at the turn of the conversation.
“Castellan i, the jeweler?” aiiM
judge. “I know the place welL
there that the robbe'ry of Mrs. Tuna
pocketbook took place last year.
Dupee bit his lips. But it was«»|
sary to carry out his part, and h*
not resist the temptation to ni® 1
at the judge, “You aro
judge,” he said, “the robbery to‘“l
young Percy Nolen was arrested I
“Yes; lie was arrested for it,
the judge, gravely; “but it has bea-J
covered, Mr. Crush, that the
was the work of another luan ' “j
man,” he added, fixing his eyes
other, “ia known to the police art
undoubtedly expiate liis crime,
return to this check. How does it i
that the money was payabietolj
stead of to the company? That
peculiar.”
. “WelL you see, I-I have an
in th© business and am authorize
ceive payments personally.
“Ahl Still, as the matter, fro®
cuniary point of view, concents
pany, and net you, it can make o
ence if I* cause inquiries tow ^
Casteiiani’s before writing y°®
check* As I have no
ance with you, you will
propriety of this precaution-
' “I don’t regard the
light,” answered Dupee, wb ,
ning to lose his nerve. -
countable to the firm. ’
and ,1 must request y° u
money. “
g was liis desire to see brought to bay.
desk,
accident,
caused this - book to
floor. * :
“The affair concerns i
directly than it does me » ■ j,*r.
: “I will communicate win* pa pp|
she authorizes the payro en ‘‘ r mtf"
it.” At that moment the aw
outer office opened. "An 0 ^
continued the judge, k ^
telle now. We can settle
here.” „ . flerf^
It was, in fact, Pauline. ^
pale and grave, but he J ^
like stars. Dupee knev
terpret her abrupt him L - !
\oo\i that she bestowed ui . sU nin'>.
tend to reassure him. B i to ^
all his resolution and resold
