One of My Sons

r it would have been had it not been for the commun

if not criminal proceeding, while to speak, and thus give up to public perusal an enclosure upon the right delivery of which the dying man laid such stress, struck

ht open a way for me out of this dilemma. But before making use of it I felt it necessary to know more of this family and the ties which bound the

egard as myself to the open hint thrown out by the coroner, we drew together near the front door, and fell

him with his correspondence. I hate to see women faint. Though I

uss Miss Meredith with this man whom I had first seen in a condition little calculated to prejudice

served. "I judged so from the look of his den

om the now thoroughly sobered

iescence which, from the tone in which i

and enfeebled butler, who seemed ready to sink with distress. At the same instant, the rattling of two keys could be heard

titude of Alfred Gillespie, who stood half in and half out of the room, with his eyes fixed upon her face. This left the hall c

it, for none of them seemed inclined to drink. Mr. George said he had a headache, and Mr. Leighton, well, he makes a point of not touching port; while Mr. Alfred gave no excuse; simply waved it away when

rt and the glass out of which M

e, 'You may finish that, Hewson,' and though he did not say it to-night, I made so bold as to remember the times he had. You see I have lived for twenty years in the family. I was a young man whe

er he had tak

s,

u also br

into the den. He rang for me from the dining-room, and when I came up he asked for

ttle has not

ne else has. It was not a full one. He

glass came from, from which M

lways keep a supply in one

u take

nk so,

e you came to and hand it

lieve

see plainly where to lay your hand, or

gas-jet turned on, and the room is a big one. But I saw the glas

bly noticed whether the on

spectacles when I wash them." The

you have to we

the glasses

o do so, for at this moment Miss Meredith appeared on the threshold of the room into which she had been carried, and, pausing there, stood lookin

ire?" she asked. "I w

child fast asleep on his shoulder. "Take her, Hope, and be careful not t

dith is not able as yet to carry the child upstairs," spoke up t

im, drawing her head back as the

sure?" as

ad closed spasmodic

g the coroner's eye, he quickly added, "that

proceeding up alone, while the scowl which had begun to form on Geo

ated the attention of us all by saying g

ate attempt to find out how and when your father took the poison, which, to all ap

ince supper. Will you grant me leave to search the house till I find it?

friends upstairs, and I came down and carried off the first bottle I saw. You will fi

w saw why his lips had moved when

ar hall which I had supposed vacant since the servants had been sent out of it. That h

one doubt." And he waited, or appeared to wait, for some event connected

much of a stranger to the occupants of the house as to myself, a

peaker, without attempting to explain or to apologise in any way for

he bottle

g gentlem

light. Only a few drops remained in

bottle seem pure." And he handed it back to th

d hardly necessary. His confident manner, his alert eye which took us all in at a glance, satisfie

duced upon the proud trio he held under his eye, Dr. Frisbie proceeded with

ther's death, possibly previous to his taking the

loor an hour or

father or anyone e

errand. It was early in the evening for the social glass,

he gla

ave enough of t

eristic action to his chin. Eviden

none in the phial of chloral found standing on the study mantelpiece! Yet your father died from taking prussic acid. Can

ach and all of them paled under the searching gaze which accompanied it, none of them spoke

d him no sign of an act calculated to bring such opprobrium upon his household. He would have acted under the hope that his death wo

. Your father ha

er was u

gave him unalloyed comfort. Is not this

rsonal pride, produced an effect thrilling to the spectators as well as to t

" growled George, with an attempt at fairness which ga

e which a moment before had shone

ur before he died," murmured Leighton, mo

end of the hall where I had been standing with their young

osition as a stranger among you, that the clue to your father's strange act is to be found in my hand

y the coroner, who probably thought he had e

your confidence in me by giving me a straightforward reply. Was Mr. Gillespie a man of dramatic instincts? Had he

nt this called ou

laugh at his stories, which she said were like little plays. But this is a peculiar

I accomplished this under his eye, and then asked him for the name and address of the person for whom this communication was intended; but by this time his faculties had failed to such an extent, he could not pronounce the name. He could only ejaculate: 'To no one else-only to-to-' Alas! he could not finish the sentence. But, gentlemen, while waiting here I have been enabled to complete in my own mind this final attempt at speech on the part of your father. Anxious to make no mistake (for the impression made by his dying adjuration not to deliver this letter into the wrong hands, was no ordinary one), I have not allowed myself to be moved by any hurried or inconsiderate impulse, to part with this communication even to tho

the simult

ung lady was in her uncle's confidence. Will you allow me to deliver this envelope to Miss Meredit

which no movement was mad

is done in m

in to the yo

stake in thus interpreting the look given me by your father, it will at least be made under your eye and from unquestionable mo

em attempt

already gone up