The Second Dandy Chater

by the crisis of the moment. For hours, he had been racing across country, and hiding and dodging, in pursuit of this man; and he came upon him lying dead, the victim of he knew not what

had started to run from the place, in an agony of fear, when a sudden thought swept over him-arresting hi

he way! Let me think; let me hammer something out of this new horror-let me find the best road to trave

I tell it? Dandy Chater out of the way!--My God!-that serves my purp

nd, like a hunted man who seeks desperately for some way of esca

ttered softly-"they'll

ght; he stood still, the better to wo

s been lured here, and struck down, as is more than likely in such a neighbourhood, for the mere purpose of robbery, there is not the slightest chance-or a very faint one, at best-of finding the man who struck the blow. On the other hand-how do yo

he found that Dandy Chater had been struck down from behind, apparently with a heavy piece of timber which lay near at hand; he must have been wandering at the very edge of the river at

f quickly, as he made his search. "The money I'll leave; some river shark

t him. It was very late, and there seemed to be no sign of life, either on land or water,

. And it wouldn't be particularly nice for Philip Crowdy to be discovered, wi

towering high in the darkness, was a great vessel, which it was dragging manfully down the river. While the man stood there, idly and mechanically watching it, with his dead likeness lying

o the very edge of the water, and strained his eyes eagerly, in search for something else beside timbers; but the darkness was too profound for him to see anything clearly; and, although he ran along the muddy bank-firs

of what had happened; touched the papers in his pocket; a

e place of the real Dandy Chater for a few hours; now I'll take his place-not by accident, but

d up the alley way into the street, and set off

d-wondering what he should do. The appearance of a small coffee-house, on the other side of the street, with the announcement swinging outside that beds were to be let there, attracted his attention; the proprietor of it had already closed one half

a bed here

; and finally ejaculated-"'Ave yer pick of the w'ole bloomin' lot, if yer like. It's my private opinion that there ain't anybody a sleepin' in

boxes reminded him that he had had nothing to eat for many hours; discussing the matter with the proprietor of the establishment, he fou

that was wild and strange-within the past few hours, that it all seemed like some horrible unruly nightmare. Yet he knew that it was something more than that; for his fingers touched the pape

at shall I say-what shall I do? Why-I don't even know what manner of man this Dandy Chater was-or what were his habits, his companions, the p

egarded, by a man who sat at the other side of the table. More than that, the man, having his back towards the little inner room where th

Count the sl

man before him was one of the most repulsive looking ruffians it is possible to imagine-a man who, from his appearance, might have been one of those unfortunates described by the proprietor of the place as never sleeping in a bed. His clothes, which had once been black, were of a greenish hue, from long exposure to the weather, and were f

moments in silence, grunted something

arse whisper as before. "Seed yer outside-an' came in arter yer. Agin the r

from the fellow's humility. "Can't you let a man alon

the Count-'cos 'e's your pal. But you're young at this game, Dandy, and the Count is a bit too fly. If

u?" thought Crowdy. Aloud he said-

e. "It ain't fer me ter say anyfink agin the Count-on'y 'e's a deep 'un, that's all. An'

wax" to the unfortunate Dandy Chater that night, might have stuck to him to the very last, down by the river's muddy brink. Crowdy was

pause, he shuffled to his feet, and started to leave the place. As he neared

't fergit Toos

ed the other, as car

Shady 'un, in a surprised tone. "Ten thirty,

replied Crowdy

spoken of as the Count had anything to do with that murder, it would obviously be impossible for Philip Crowdy to appear before him; the fraud would be exposed at once. Again, it was evident that the late Dandy Chater had kep

die of fright, or denounce me. For the present, I've got to be very careful; I've very fortunately discovered one or two things which may be useful. But how in the world

assigned to him over the coffee-house, that he remembered the interview he had had with the

ve taken her to London, and they were to be married to-morrow. Now, Dandy Chater-or t

up, with all the other troublous matters connected with the past few hours, and slept

d made up his mind the previous night; had studied carefully the dress and appearance of the dead man, with that object-indefinite the

eath and disappearance of Dandy Chater. There is no one to suspect; so far as I am concerned, there is every

ht purchases, with a view to changing his dress; and started for Chater Hall. Arriving at the little railway station, he returned, with grim satisfaction, the sa

having been in the same family for many generations. Mr. Philip Crowdy rattled along the drive

on't even know my way about my own house-shan't know where to turn, when I get inside, or what the servants' names are.

nt-a pleasant-looking lad, of about twenty years of age, in a sober brown livery, ran

oice as pleasant as his face. "Hoped you'd t

being convinced, for some strange reason, that the late Dandy Chater had been of a s

-did not, as he had already suggested, even know which way to turn. In desperati

he was passing through the doorway, and beckoned to the young servan

a pipe on the mantelshelf, and a spirit stand on an ancient Sheraton sideboa

lip Crowdy leaned back in his chair, and laughed softly, when he thought of how well he was carrying t

, bringing the cigars, and a l

rning, sir, quit

esitation, broke the seal, and re

est D

ur capacity for the better things of which you have spoken. I will marry you, when you like,

s loy

ret Ba

vant, with a wave of the hand,