CHAPTER XXXV.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 221, 24 September 1887, Page 8

CHAPTER XXXV.

luray gains a clve. "Hum! I've imagined that Edmund meant to marry you from the first," Mr Ruggles remarked, reflectively, as Ruby concluded her recital; "but I'd about as

soon think of chaining you to a wild beasb for he'd break your heart in less than a year with hiß tyranny and selfishness."", , Mr Buggies invited Ruby to go with him fco Kedville, but she deolined, thinking it best to remain near Walter, and decided to seek a boarding-house in the city. , They conversed somewhat longer, and then turned their steps baok to the house. It was quite dark wlien they reached the mansion, and Ruby invited. Mr Puggles to come in and rest a while before returning to the city, He seemed very willing to do so, but upon entering the parlour they found Edmund Carpenter and Mrs Gordon there, engaged evidently in a confidential conversation. Mr Carpenter, however, arose with alacrity and greeted his relative with great apparent cordiality — inquired after his wife, his coal-mines, and would have made himself very sociable indeed. But Mr Rugglea was altogether too outspoken and straightforward to endure that kind of talk long, when his heart was burning with indignation for Walter's wrongs, and he immediately tackled his half-nephew upon the subject in a way to make the young man feel that he might become an antagonist who .vas likely to make his plans somewhat difficult to carry out. " So you had Walter taken up for stealing Mrs Gordon's trinkets and money, eh ?" Mr Ruggles began, by way of opening his battery, while his small, keen eyos searched Edmund Carpenter's face eagerly. "How could I do otherwise?" ho domanded, Hushing angrily at the attack, " We tried every other means that we could think of first to discover them, and no clue could bo obtained, while surely his sleeping here that night and then going away so .stealthily before light in the morning looked extremely suspicious." " You are mistaken, Mr Carpenter," Ruby interposed with dignity. "Mr Richaulson did not leave * btealthily ;' he told both Mrs Coxon and me that he should bo obliged to go away very early in order to catch his train." "It was a mean thing to do, Edmund, when you've known for years that there wasn't an honcster lad in the State. In fact, you have treated the boy very shabbily over frince your father died, and I believe a day ot reckoning will yet come for you." " What am 1 to understand 1 by that?" demanded Mr Carpenter, frowning darkly. " Your own conscience ought to answer that question better than I can," replied Mr Ruggles, gravely. ' ' I would like to ask if you expect to j>rovc this theft against Walter, or whether you have only had him arrested to vent your spleen against him and make him a mark for public scandal ?" " That's a sensible question surely for a man of your years," retorted Mr Carpenter, with a contemptuous laugh. " However, I can simply say that that remains to be .-ecu." " Well, I can tell you that there shall be no stone left unturned to save the boy. I know lie is innocent. You know it too ; and if there is any way of unearthing the plot that I'm pretty sure you've laid for him, you may be pretty sure it'll bo done." Having delivered himself of these energetic remarks, Mr Ruggles turned and left the room, followed by Ruby, his desire for rest having evaporated with bis indignation. "Igue&s I'd better clear out now," he said, wiping the perspiration from his flushed face. "If I should stay much longer I'm afraid I should let out more'n be good for any of us. I sha'n't go back homo, though, for two or three days, and I'll see you again before then." Ruby accompanied him to the door, where she shook hands with him and bade him "good-night," and then she sped upstairs to her own room. She sat down by an open window to calm herself, for she was fearfully excited, and every pulse was throbbing painfully. But the night was very warm, and she could not seem to breathe, while she was so nervous that she felt as if she could not keep still ; as if she must get out of that hated house and away from the sound of those murmuring voices below, which ,to her excited imagination, seemed to be plotting btill further mischief against her. She started up at last, and, throwing a long dark circular around her to protect her from the dew, she stole softly down the back stair-way, out of a side door into tho grounds. TLe night was very dark and still. It was one of those evenings in midsummer when one feels almost awed by the oppressive gloom, r.yd sultriness and silence. The young girl wandered aimlessly about for awhile until she bejran to weary, yet was still unwilling to go in, and finally sat down upon a rustic seat that had been built around a mammoth oak that stood about half way down the avenue. She must have sat there nearly a halfhour, when she heard voices and steps coming tow aid her from the direction of the house. She slid around behind the tree, slinking close to the huge trunk, and wrapping her dark circular tightly about her, hoping thus to escape observation, for k she had recognised the voices as belonging to Mrs Gordon and Edmund Carpenter, and she had no desire to encounter either of thorn again that evening. Nearer and nearer they came, and, to her dismay, finally stopped directly under the shadow of the very tree where she was sitting, and not six feet from her. To increase her fear, Edmund Carpenter threw himself upon the seat, and now only the trunk of the oak was between them. "That old fool thought 1 was going to expose my hand, 1 suppose," he sneered ; '• but he'll find that it will take more money than ho has, or than he will ever hope to have, to get that young beggar out of the clutches of the law. He will go to State prison in spite of fate, for — the diamond* will he found upon hU person, and that will be proof positive of his guilt." " That will ruin him, 1 of course," said Mrs Gordon, although she uttered a sigh as she spoke; "but maybe, they will discover them before the trial." "I do not believe that. Of course, suspecting as they do that it is a plot, they must have searched everything long before this, and if they found anything, we should doubtless have heard from them ; they | would wish to temporise, and have the guifc withdrawn. I made thorough work 'of my business, I can assure you, only Conant wa« j too quick foi' us in one thing. He secured the suit Walter wore that night, and it is going to be rather ticklish business getting hold of it again without exciting their suspicions." " Ifc will break Ruby's heart if they prove him guilty," said Mrs Gordon, in a low tone that had something of fear and regret in it. " Hearts don't break so easily 1" her companion retorted ; " but I hope she does not play the faithful heroine— wait until ho serves his sentence out and then marry him." " She will not. She would never marry anyone whom she believed dishonourable." "Then you begin to fear my cause is rather unpromising?" said Mr Carpenter, moodily. "I am— afraid so. Sho bolioves the very worst of you, evidently."

" We shall see," retorted the man, between his teeth ; and Ruby caught her breath at hia tone, though she never stirred, but listened with all her powers, hoping' to learn more of the plot that had been con- \ trived to ruin her lover. She had already learned enough, she foe- | lieved, to save him ; but, oh ! if she could only gain something more tangible to help | her to bring the author of it to justice ! " You will hold on to that bill," he continued, after a pause. "Of course it will ' not do to use it at present, since you gave ! the number of it to the detective. I didn't suspect you were clever enough to do that." "l always take the number of large bills like that, unless lam going to vxae them I immediately. But I shall nevor dare to : spend chis one now. I wish you had never j given it back to me," said Mrs Gordon, in j a troubled tone. " Oh, that will be all right ; keep it until you go out of the State some time, and then it will be easy enough to get rid of it. I'm only sorry I couldn't tack ib on to him somewhore that night, but it was very late before I got around, and there was no time to make ! a neat job of it, so I had to keep it. But [ they will take it for granted, when they ; find the diamonds, that he stole the money I too." [ "I hopo nothing will happen to the stones. My husband gave them to me on ' my birthday, and they are very valuable besides," remarked Mrs Gordon anxiously. " They are safe enough ; a tailor couldn't have made a neater job than 1 did, and the beggar might wear them about for months with perfect safety, and never suspect he had them on." And the man chuckled villainously over his cleverness. " You might at least have given mo another bill and kept the one you took yourself," remarked Mrs Gordon, in an unsatisfied tone. " Well, I might, but it did not occur to mo. However, you caa send it to me by mail to-morrow, and I will return you a cheque for the amount," Edmund Curpenter replied obligingly. "I wish you had not told me anything about ifc," his companion continued. "I would lather have lost the money. I feel almost as guilty as if I had stolen something | myself." "You do not suppose I am so green as to imagine you did not suspect there Avas ! some trickery about tlie affair ?"' was Mr Carpenter's sarcastic rejoinder. ' "Well, of course, I thought of it, but I would rather not have known. Ido nob see how you managed to get into my room without disturbing: me. ' " That was easy enough. The French windo-v that opens out upon the balcony was not fastened. Your bureau is so near it, it was no effort to step in, open the drawer and help myself to what I Avanted, and then crawl clown the lattice the same Avay I came up. Had I known that your door was unlocked, I could have made easier work of it, but I feared to arouse you by passing through. %> ' ' You might a3 well have asked me for the stones and money outright, without taking all that trouble, as to mako me an unwilling accomplice at this late day, by telling me all about it." "I thought you were as anxious to cot this young oeggar out of the Avay as I am," retorted Edmund Carpenter, angrily. "I am. I don't A-vant Ruby to marry him, and was willing to do all I could to help on your cause, but Ido not like the idea of committing ciime to accomplish it.' Mr Carpenter swore an angry oath. " You are very squeamish all at once," he said, " and 1 was a precious fool to tell you anything about ib ; bub that old nian exasperated me so to-night that I ripped it out before I thought. I hope you don't in tend to turn State's evidence," he concluded, Avith some anxiety. "You need not fear," Mrs Gordon returned, coldly; "torture Avould not draw the confession from me ; still, I am very uncomfortable in possessing the knoAVled K e." " Then Aye are all right. I'd do the same thing again to get rid of that fool, Avho has been an eyesore to me all my life. I warned him he would come to harm if he didn't keep out of my path. I believe I would have had clear sailing Avith Jtluby but for him. " Ruby, in her place of concealment, Avas growing very nervous a3 she listened to all this, and her small hands Avere so tightly clenched in trying to control her shaking limbs and almosc chatt3ring teeth, that it seemed as if they Avould never open again, and it was with a feeling of intense relief that she finally heard Edmund Carpenter rise from his seat, and «ay : " Well, ib is time I was on my Avay to the city. I wish I hadn't let the cat out, E.stelle, since you feel ib so keenly, but I'll amke it as easy for you at the trial as I can." Mrs Gordon slm-ered. The thought of going before a court of justice to 'testify against the young man whom hitherto &he had been so eager to ruin, had now becozno a torture to her. , " Shall I accompany you back to the house ?" her companion asked, as she stood irresolute. "No, I Avill Avalk'a little farther down the avenue with you — I do not feel like going in just yet," she ansAvered. The two turned away and passed on toAvard the great gate, Avhile Ruby, as soon as she dared to do go, sped, light as a fairy, over the A'elvet turf .back to the bouse, sprang up the stairs, to her room, and Avas apparently sleeping the sleep of the innocent, Avhen, fifteen minutes later, Mrs Gorden stopped to listen an instant at her door before passing on to her own. chamber.

( To be Continued, }