Dr. Rumsey's Patient

he had shown was the ordinary excitement which an outsider might feel when he received startling and unlooked for tidings. There was not a scrap of personal emotion in his manner. Was it

ght flash up for an instant on the Squire's face-it had looked haggard and gray-like the face of an old man. She had watched him as he examined the slender stick with which he had killed his foe. She observed him then creep across the Plain to a copse of young alders. She had seen him push the stick out of sight into the middle of the alders-she had then watched him as he went quickly home. Yes, Robert Awdrey was the guilty man-Frank Everett was innocent, as innocent as a babe. All day long Hetty's head had been in a mad whirl. She had kept her terrible knowledge to herself. Knowing that a word from her could save him, she had allowed Everett to be arrested. She had watched him from behind her window when the police came to the house for the purpose, she had seen Everett go away in the company of two policemen. He was a square-built young fellow with broad shoulders-he had held himself sturdily as an Englishman should, when he walked off, an innocent man, to meet an awful doom. Hetty, as she watched, crushed down the cry in her heart-it

me. I am less than the thistle under his feet. Why should I save him? Why should Mr. Eve

came to her, were quickl

d I'm his subject. It does not matter whether he loves me or not, he shan't die. Yes, he loves that beautifu

hed wildly

ttle guesses what I feel; she little guesses that I ho

d interested villagers. The murder was the one and only topic of conversation. Armitage was busy attending to his nume

she called out to h

e place, it's in every one's mouth, that you have been the cause of the murder. You encouraged that poor Mr. Frere with your idle, flighty, silly ways and looks, and then you played fast a

Hetty. She sank down on the nearest chair, pushed

her aunt, "you do look w

ont of her niece, and eye

ittle heart you possess. If he meant honest by you, you couldn't have done better-they say he had lots of money, and not a soul to think o

ay I go upstai

work for your living like the rest of us. Put o

hite face. The doctor had examined the wound in the eye. The coroner had come to view the dead. All was in readiness for the inquest, which was to take place at an early hour on the following day. No one as yet h

t. "You'll find the paper by that v

covered by a white sheet. The moon poured in a ghastly light through the window. The form of the dead man was outlined distinctly under the sheet. Hetty almost ran up against it when she e

the matter?" sai

here," panted Hetty. "You should

hing you are! Stay quiet and I'll run and fetch the paper. Dear,

per, and shut the door behind her. As she walked down the

she said. "Aunt Fanny, I must speak to you at

ind time to listen to your silly nonsense just now? There's you

t to say something. I know something. I must

taring hard at her niece, "you are

t once. Tell any lie, make any excuse, only come to me quickly. I'm in such a state that if you don't come I'll ha

For goodness sake do keep yourself calm. There, ru

t into the taproo

eadache, and Hetty is fairly knocked up. Can't you

ge. "There's work here for three pairs of hands," he ad

to that child, sh

he knows the whole thing is owing to her. Littl

n an awful state, poor child, and if I don't get her to bed,

th her, wife, she ain't worth it," Armit

ith moonlight. It was a tiny room, with a sloping roof. Its little lattice window was wide open. Hetty was kneeli

t Fanny," she said,

whatever has

Aunt Fanny, or

key. I'll put it into my pocket.

. If I don't tell it, I shall go mad. You must share it with me, Aunt Fanny. You an

what are you

se to you. Hold my hand. I never felt

, Hetty, wha

a word, you've got t

t's

soul what I am goi

promises of tha

u hate it or not. Prom

in this way, and you neither kith nor kin to me. Don't you forget that it's A

m nothing to him, no more than if I were a weed, but I love him madly, deeply, desperately. He is all the world to me. He is my master, and I am his slave. Of course I'm nothing to him, but he's e

s as merely those of a hysterical and over-wrought girl.

and I can't stand beating round the bush. If you have a secret, out with it, you silly thing. Oh, yes, of course I won't betray you. I

d telling you now, now that you have promised not to betray me

suppressed a

, in a choking voice. "Were yo

aight on to the Plain-I saw him running. I hid behind a furze bush and I saw the quarrel, and I heard the words-I saw

ear, what will not our passions lead us to; to think that two young gentlemen should come to this respecta

time, now rose. Her face was ghastly

Mr. Everett

to her feet, and catching the girl's two hands within her

r him-and no one must ever know-and I saw him this evening, and-and he has forgotten all about it. He doesn't know