One of My Sons

tarted down the hall, an

a! P

sed to hold no one but ourselves, I hastily followed her till she reached the f

side," she

the contrast offered by this scene of mirth to the solemn occurrence which had just taken place below, I hesitated to enter, and looked about for

a does not like cards. Uncle Georg

entered another room, and seemed surprised t

ed, and, bounding up another flight of stai

r till I came upon someone; so I hastened up this

find papa. I'm so frightened," and she ran sobbing towards the young man, who rose

e to suggest, rather than explain the extent of his attractions. I afterwards heard from such of my friends as were in the habit of walking the avenue with him, that he never failed to draw the attention of passers-by; something in his fe

it nervously in his hand, and dropped it into the waste-paper basket. As a certain furtive haste characterised this action, my a

one wanted. Evidently he had not as yet noticed me standin

nce of her grandfather whom, I am sorry to say, I found in a very precarious condition in his study downstairs. If he is your father, you have my sympathy for his sudde

! Fat

ferent, something which it shocked me to hear in his tones and see sparkle in his eye. But this expression, whatever it betokened,

d, ignoring or forgett

child who

take me there; I'm afraid. Se

ild ran away. Then, and only then

don't understand it. Where were my brothers? They were near enou

no answer, so I made none. He did no

go down,

the foregoing short interchange of words, I expected to find the house in a state of alarm and everyone alert. But the card-players were still at their gam

sions; and waiting for no reply, he rushed ahead of me dow

e same commanding appearance, the same abstracted air, and woke, when he did wake, to the same curious condition of conflicting emotio

ome half-dozen servants standing in and about the small room where the master of the house lay stretched. Some were wringing thei

nto the room. Amongst the latter I saw one whose face was not altogether unfamiliar, and it was from him that I gained my first information concerning the man to whose dying passion I had been witness, a

te, whose name, as well as those of his three spendthrift sons, was in every man's

es into the room where their father lay, came out looking very pale

ked. "Bring him at once and at any cost; Mr

dently was the

Is there anything wrong? Mr. Gillespie was violently s

d back into the room, leaving us all agog, tho

en near me slipped out in obed

I asked, after a moment spen

asoned by a stare I bore with what equanimity I coul

was not meant

ing-room on the opposite side of the hall. When this man, for it was a male servant, saw that he had attracted my attention, he made me an im

't let them do anything till Mr. Leighton co

tle girl's fat

good man, too," he insi

ad heard that each of Mr. Gillespie's so

myself out of place and yet strangely in place, I drew aside into as inconspicuous a

some anxiety he could not altogether conceal, came more than once into the hall and threw furtive g

by the butler with that mechanical habitude such old servants acquire, and, though nothing could shake the calm deference of this trained do

obeyed the summons of the young doctor who stood beckoning to him from the threshold of the little den, with an appearance of alacrity that nevertheless had an odd element of hesitation in it. I might not have noticed this under other circumstances,

d; then he came out. Instantly I saw from his expression that our fears or rather, those of the young doctor, were not w

an overdose of chloral. We will have to leave

e dining-room behind me. The old butler had dropped a glass

s at his side

that?" he

stooped for

out of. He asked for wine a half hou

ut old servants of his stamp

eces," said the doctor,

ked up the pieces. They were all dry.

not unkindly glance at the group o

witness of Mr. Gillesp

f only Mr. Gillespie had been able to articulate the one word which

d?" the doctor now asked, meeting my eye with the same expression of instantan

othing about the letter which had been entrusted to me for delivery to some unknown person. How could I? There had been n

he condition in which he found him. Taking up the pieces of glass he had collected from the dining-room hearth, he sniffed them carefully, durin

adful to communicate,"

from one to the other of the two han

re. Do you know if he i

d, turning towards the servants. "I tho

respectfull

nd Mr. Gillespie had a few words in the den, sir, a

your master a

only heard

t sound

t feeling the doctor's eye resting impera

Mr. Gillespie seemed to be angry or ver

e wer

r, putting away the las

r what your

ething about religio

ion services to please my father,

did not take his eye

he glass of wine you have

Mr. Leighton who came for it. H

ss to be back then on the

pie put it there himself. He never lik

s lips, but I noticed he did not speak. There

me the bottle from whic

t extending half across the dining-room wall. From where I stood in the hall-way I cou

or me to hear. "The bottle I took out for Mr.

elder brother move, and agai

eighton's return before making any further movement. George, Alfred, may I ask you to leave me alone with your father for a few minutes. And let

ing on the part of the two most intimately concerned. I looked for an exchange of glances between them or at least some hurried words of sorrow or dismay. But though all evinced strong emotion, no looks passe

Bennett now announced. "You must pardon my seemin

and that the dining-room had been cleared of the huddling servants,

his voice rise in t

our," I now heard uttered in remark near me. It

of his anxious looks up t

ted until he got to his own room. I never knew him to take it downstair

e Alfred

lf-past eight, I met Claire coming out of father's room with a bottle in her

s brother a su

say so?"

es

miss her grandfather.

dly knew how to withdraw till I had received my dismissal from someone in authority. Yet I was

nce. But I must ask you to remain a short time longe

ed my obligations for his courtesy, but did not

h curtain at the left and begged me to be seated in the richly appointed room within. But I had hardly taken a step towards it when a diversion was cre

d it difficult to say just what impression he made upon me at this moment. Enough that with my first glimpse of him I felt confident that no ordinary person had entere

pse, but he roused at the sight of a stranger, and cast an inquiring loo

for one of his brot

fain to construe into a total lack of preparation for the fatal new

came in simul

dead!" cr

ch chloral,"

down the hall. But at the door of what now might be called the chamber of death, he f

ed from an overdose of chloral as I had at first supposed, but from a deadly dose of prussic a