CHAPTER XXXIII.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 220, 17 September 1887, Page 8

CHAPTER XXXIII.

" I WILL NOT BKLIKVE ONE "WORD AGAINST HIM." In order to understand more fully the events of the preceding chapter, we must go back to the morning that Walter left Edmund Carpenter's house after having once more passed a night in his old room. He had slept very soundly ; not oven the fierce confiiot of the elements had served to disturb him, and no thought of treachery or foul play had entered his mind, as, in the dim light of the early dawn, ho hurriedly dressed himself and then crept quietly downstairs, lotting hhnsblf out by a back entrance so that he need disturb no ono in the house. Ho had noticed ono thing, however, while dressing. It was a trivial circumstance in itself, bub it returned to his mind afterward when his trouble game upon him.

It was his custom, and had been taught him by his mother in his early boyhood, to arrange his clothing in an orderly way over a chair before going to bed, so that everything would be convenient when he arose. But on this morning he had found hie coat lying on the floor, instead of hanging upon the back of the chair, where ho was sure he had placed it. ►Still he attributed to his own haste or carelessness, if ho gave the matter any thought at all, and went on his way all unsuspicious of the vile scheme that was soon to bring him into the direst strait that he had ever known. At eight o'clock on Monday morning, and just before breakfast was served to Mrs Coxon's boarders, Mrs Gordon came hurriedly downstairs, looking startled and anxious. She encountered Ruby upon the verandah, and asked, excitedly : " Ruby, have you been to either my jewel-box or my pxirse T " Of course not, Estelle," the younff girl I'eturncd, looking a^toni^hed and a trifle indignant at the question. " But some one has been there, for my solitaire diamond ear-rings are gone from the box, and a hundred-dollar bill from my purse." " Why, Estelle, you must be mistaken ; ! you have probably mislaid them and forgotten about them." j " Indeed I have not ; there is no mistake about it," retorted Mrs Gordon, flushing with excitement. " I received the bill only on Saturday, when I folded it and placed it in a side-pocket of my purse. The purse I put in my upper bureau drawer under some handkerchiefs, but this morning it lay open and on top of the bureau, and the money gone from it. My diamonds were in their ease in my jewel-box ; the box was also open and the stones missing, though the ca**e was left. "How strange! And was nothing else missing?" " No, and that is the queerest part of it. I [ have other diamonds and nice jewelleiy, j as you know, but nothing was touched save what I mentioned." i "Did you lock your door last night?'" Ruby asked, looking perplexed. " No, I never lock it. 1 have never had a thought of danger since we came here," replied Mrs Gordon, with a clouded brow, for her diamonds wore very valuable, and almost the hist gift .she had received from her husband. '• It would be well for you to go and look after your own things," sho added; "you may have been robbed also." "No one could get into my room, for. mv door was locked, and everything was all right when I came downstairs," Ruby asserted, confidently. Mrs Coxon was immediately informed of the mysterious loss, and general inquiries were made. The servants were closely questioned, and the coachman examined, but they all appeared <-o innocent, and were so frightened at the mere thought of a burglar, that Mrs Gordon was iinally convinced that no one upon the premises had been guilty of the thoifc. It was a very strange affair, everyone thought, and could have been perpetrated by no professional robber, for sucli a one would have taken everything of value that could be readily removed, and made thorough work after once gaining an entrance to the house. Mr Carpenter was wiitten to, and asked to come out and try to suggest sonve explanation and some way to recover the mining property. But he was out of town, and did not make his appeal ance until two days later, when he seemed as much astonished and perplexed as anyone by the singular circumstance. The matter was then given into the hands of ix detective, though with but little hope on the part of Mrs Gordon of recovering the 10-;t articles. On Thursday morning, however, as she was passing through the upper hall, phe espied Mrs Coxoti in Walter's old room, setting it to rights and changing the sheets, she having been unusually busy during the early portion of the week and unable to attend to the woik before. " Why," exclaimed Mrs Gordon, stopping and peeping in, " did anyone sleep here last night ?" " No, ma'am ; but Mr Walter was caught in the rain last Sunday night, and I wouldn't let him go back to the city when there were plenty of beds in the house," the housekeeper explained, not dreaming what mischief she was doing. " Waller Richardson ! did he "hep here /«->.' Sunday night ?" demanded Mrs Gordon, with a start. " Yes, ma'am, didn't you know it ?" questioned Mis Coxon, but her face had grown suddenly scarlet, for she knew in an instant what thought had suddenly taken possession of her boarder's mind. "No ; I did — not—know— it," replied Mrs Gordon, with deliberate ihoughtfulne«s ; and then the two women ptood and looked into each other's faces for a full minute — the housekeeper's expressive of anxiety and something of defiance ; her ! companion's indicating astonishment and conviction. " At what time did he go away in the morning?" Mrs Gordon demanded, at length j breaking the oppressive silence. " Very eai'ly, ma'am ; he had to catch the .six o'clock train to go to his work," Mrs j Coxon replied, assuming an indifferent air, though her heart was quaking within her j for her favourite. " Did you see him before he went ?" " No, inarm ; he went away quietly, and did not disturb anyone. Mr Walter was always very considerate ;'' and the housokeeper, having folded her last shoot, gathered up the other things she was to take awaj , and marched with dignity from the room, thus putting an end to the trying conversation. Mrs Gordon went slowly and thoughtfully back to her own chamber. She dashed off a note and sent it immediately by the coachman to Edmund Carpenter, who answered it in propria iiersonte, and the two wore closeted for two long hours in confidential conversation ; and, the next Monday morning, as we have already learned, sax officer was sent to arrest Walter upon ijhe charge of having stolen Mrs Robert Gordon's money and jewels. Monday evening's paper g>ve an exaggerated account of the affair, an*t mentioned the station-house to which Walter had been taken to await his examinafeSozi. The young man had &e^b a,fe once for Mr Conant upon arriving in fche city, and he had expressed both sympathy and indigna tion upon hearing tho circumstances of Ims, arrest. " Why, Walter, Ixrcwild trust you with uncounted gold," lmsaid, in his genial way, "and I am sure $o\x would nob steoftp to tako a lady's moncs or diamonds." " I never took anything in my itfe that did not belong &> me, and it is noh reasonable to supper that I would begin by stealing from the sister ot the young lady whom I horn sometime to make my wife," Walter repAteil, with considomble scorn and some bitteruess. " Ah I then you are engaged to Mips Ruby Gordon V &aid Mr Conant» to whom this was news indeed. " Yes, sir." '•Poos she know anything of your trouble ? ' "I do not know. I presume she will loam oi it through the papers, if in no other Avay ;" and the young man looked very unhappy.

"Oh, do nofc look so discouraged," stsbwU his friend, cheerfully ; " we will soon ha-*©* you out of thia place. As soon as your turn* comes for examination, wo will have yotf* bailed out, and then sea what we can do* for counsel." " Have you seen the paper, Ruby ?" Mrs Gordon asked, as she came out upon the verandah, after tea that evening, and found her young 1 sister there. " Yes," Ruby answered, all unsuspicious. " I saw it lying" on the hall table as I camo out, bub I did not care particularly for the news, so I loft it there. " Would you mind reading to me for a little while? My eyes have been feeling badly all the afternoon, and I do not want to make them worse by reading that fine print." " Certainly I will road to you if you wish, Estelle," replied the obliging girl, and she tripped back into the house for the paper. Returning, she seated herself in a low rocker by her sister, and began to unfold the sheet. As she did so her eyes fell upon a flaming heading : " Arrest of the thief who stole a wellknown lady's diamonds," etc. " Why, Esteile, that must mean you," Ruby cried, a* she read it aloud, and flushing with excitement, i Swiftly her glance traverse 1 the other lines of the column, and then all at once she uttered a startled cry of "pain, the paper slipped from her nerveless lingers, and she sank back in her chair pale and strength less. "What is the matter, Ruby?" Mrs Gordon, asked, in a feigned tone of surprise She knew well enough what the trouble was, for she had known that Walter was to be arrested that day, and felt sure that the papers would be full of it, and she had taken this way to break the news to Ruby, as she was anxious to have the scene over with her as soon as possible. " What ails you, Ruby ? Why do you not tell mo ?" she persisted, as the girl made no answer. Ruby aroused herself at this. She arose and stood before her .sister, looking down upon her with stern eyes, which were, nevertheless, filled with unspeakable agony. "Estelle, tell me truly," she commanded in a tone that she hud never used before, " do you know anything about that arrest '! — is it any of your work, or is Edmund Carpenter also at the bottom ot thU foul wrong ?" " What on earth do you mean, child ?—? — what is my doing ? — of Avhat is Edmund Carpenter at the bottom ?" returned Mrs Goidon, impatiently, and trying to look mystified. "Walter has been arrested upon the charge of having stolen your money and diamonds." " Walter Richardson ! is it possible ? How I does he happen to be suspected C ! " Bccau&u he slept here on the night of the robbery, and it is claimed that no professional, or no one from outside the house, could have taken the tilings." " Well, that ii a startling piece of news ; but who knows but what he may be the guilty one, after all ? It does have a suspicious look, come to think of it — his sleeping here that night, and then getting away before light in the morning. Well, I warned you against him, Ruby, and I hope you will listen to me now," Mrs Gordon concluded, in a reproachful tone, as if she wished to imply that Ruby had, in some way, been partially to blame for the "onfrclempt. " Estelle ! Walter i& as innocent of this crime as I am. Ido not sec how you can imagine for a moment that he could be guilty of such a thing, and I will not believe ' one word against him," Ruby asserted, indignantly. " But if it should be proved against him, how could you help believing it ?" Mrs Gordon asked, as she stooped to pick up the paper and began to read the account for herself, regardless of her aching (?) eyes. "It never can be proved against him. It is utterly impossible that he could do such a thing," was the pa-sionate response, for Ruby had the utmost faith in the integrity of her lover. " Well, dear, don't work j'ourself into a fever over it," returned Mrs Gordon, soothingly ; "only promise me that, if he is proved guilty, you will give up your foolish fancy for him." "My foolish fancy for him!" repeated Ruby, in a low, intense tone. "Oh, Estello, how little you know my character ! It would kill me to know that Walter Richardson had committed a crime." " Then you will give him up — you will cancel your engagement if he is convicted ?" persisted Mrs Gordon, relentlessly. "I should have to give him up if he ■ acknowledged the crime. I could; never marry a dishonoured man," Ruby moaned ; and with these woids she fled up to Her own room, to hide tho wild grief that wn& nearly breaking her*heart.

[To be Contimted.]