Hand and Ring

inal

h one tongue, in order that they sh

lt

bay, there had been something in the final manner of this desperate but evidently cultured gentleman, which had impressed him against his own will, and made him question wh

oubts in another direction were proof enough of this; and had it not been for those very doubts, the probabilities are that he woul

struggle that was likely to ensue between his personal feelings on the one side and his sense of duty on the other di

sibility would have been shifted from my shoulders, and I would have left the young man to his fate in peace. But now I would be criminally at fault

he was sufficiently under the dominion of her extraordinary fascinations to feel that any movement on his part toward the unr

ould he bring himself to the point of embracing the duty presented to him, till he had subjected Miss Dare to a new test, and won for h

he considered, “and nothing, not even the peril of those dearest to me, could justify m

d after learning that Mr. Hildreth was under surveillance, and would in all probability be subj

rue purpose under his usual nonchalant tones. “But I do not want to seem to be pushing myself forward; so if you could give

ng the motives that led to this request, easily provided the detective wi

ing upon the activity of the afternoon, had succeeded in quieting his pulses and calming down the fierce excitement which h

rough the vines and bushes of an old-fashioned and most luxuriant garden, he waited

, Miss Dare? I have a message from Mr. Fe

certain at a word if

Mr. Orcutt is very busily engaged; but if you will

te he held in his hand. “If your master is busy I will not di

re she was gone!” h

nsider himself in

ain the street, when, hearing the gate suddenly click, he looked up, and saw adva

And with a sudden movement he withdrew from the path, and paused as if to li

Another, and he had rung the bell, which was answer

the inquiry, uttered in

ss Tremaine,” was the clear and satisfactory

y swing of his cane and a cheerful look overhead where the stars were already becom

d the latter, musingly.

ecognized in the seeming stranger the well-known tenor singer of the church he had himself attended the Sunday before — a gentleman, to

s the work of a moment. The natural sequence followed. Mr. Byrd made himself so agreeable that by the time they arrived at Miss T

ence to the proposal, and at once accompanied his new friend into the house of the unknown Miss Tremaine. He found it lit up as for guests. All the roo

l,” he went on, whispering his somewhat late explanations into the ear of Mr. Byrd. “Every Thursday evening she throws her house open for callers, and the youth of the academy are only t

almost rakish, fellow at his side but knew the hideous errand

perience. Before he realized that he was fully committed to this venture, he found himself in the parlor bowing before t

dreaded to encounter, advancing toward them through the open door. She was very pale, and, to Mr. Byrd’s eyes, looked thoroughly worn out, if not ill. Yet, she bore herself with a steadiness that was evidently the result of her will; and manifested neither reluctance nor

with which Mr. Duryea hailed her approach. And he immediately became

a proper understanding of the situation; and he had not the heart to approach her with any mere civility on hi

young fellows at his side, one by one, edged away, leaving no one in that

however, and he felt that if he did not speak at once he might not have another opportunity for doing so during the whole evening. Turning, therefore, to Miss Tremaine, with more se

eated, “no; is

u are not interested in the murder tha

still, as if his words had worked their spell over one heart there at least. “Papa knew Mrs. Clemmens very well,” the little lady proc

eed. Happily he was not obliged to. An interruption occurred in the shape of a new-comer, and he was left with the fatal word on his lips to

present to you Mr. Byr

forms of etiquette, he uttered the first few acknowle

ing him full

ot detecting the least sign of recognition in her ga

lowly to one side in a way to rid herself of that gentleman’s too immediate pr

red to enter into a sustained conversation, “I may go away to-morrow, and I may linger on for an indefinite length of time. It all depends upon certain

es

forced, and she lo

are?” that gentleman suddenly

ded both gentlemen in its invitation, she led the way into the adjoining apartment. Could it have been with the purpose of ridding herself of the assiduities of Mr. Duryea? The room contained half a dozen or mor

he possessed flashed brilliantly before his eyes, she asked, with sudden determination, if she had

the emotion which her own introduction of this top

son who killed her.” And obliging himself to meet half-way the fate that awaited him, he bestowed upon t

ness, grief, or apprehension, her complexion

the; and Mr. Byrd could almost fancy

address her in a way calculated to break the spell occasioned by his last words, when the rich

his bosom, my o

fled from thee, thy

smile that no cl

a hand all thy o

y the words, struck her like a blow, it likewise served to recall her to herself. Dropping her ga

as her power of self-control when she was not under the influence of surprise, she inquired: “And who

ves himself to bury the steel in his patient’s qui

in some strange way, by financial interests. A Mr. Hildre

ok place in all her features, by the look of almost painful relief that

anticipated, but that it was also a strange one to her. “I never heard of such a person,” she went on after a min

e made for, if ‘t

ough sorrow, throug

own in this town. He only came here the morning the unfortunate woman was murdered. Whether he really killed her or not,” he proceede

ha

oth word and tone, or so she seemed to fondly imagine; for, making another effort at self-control, she confined herself to a quiet repetition

ly spoke to

here is no evidence against any one else, and the facts so far proved, show he had an interest in her death, and so he has to pay the penalty of circumstances. And he may be guilty, who kno

ave ears for but on

he repeated. “How did he get

used to collect his thoughts, he said. It seems unaccountable,

f to his ex

the widow scream?” she as

ible, caused her to pause. When the notes grew loud enough again for her to proceed, sh

o say about what he

id, the sounds, if sounds there were, stopped short of th

ropped her eyes, and an instant’s pau

attempt to infuse into her voice no more than a natural tone of interes

rejoinder of Mr. Byrd. “It was by means of a nice calculation of time and event

nother bar of th

n, you say?” was her

a very han

ave put him

will on t

-frame near by, looking with eyes that

s friends,” she

if no one near

me thy angel in

‘ll be, ‘mid the

e, unshrinking, th

nd save thee — or

e mello

id she, lowering her voice to a whisper, for the last note of the song was dying away in a quivering pianissimo. “I have be

her nature, she walked steadily away through the crowd that vainly sought to stay he

or when he issued from the house and made his way back to his room in the hotel. He only knew that at midnight he was stil