< Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 4).djvu
This page needs to be proofread.

170 111

have him arrested, but his answer was: “No; for his mother's sake, T will save him.

“ Prinsley at this time was hiving with some people who had a son much about his own age, and very like him in build. This son was taken ill, and, after being seen onee by a doctor, died. The doctor gave a certificate, but he was told that the name of the deceased was David DBrinsley. The parents of the dead man were heavily bribed by my mis- cuided brother to allow this fraud to be perpetrated, and they removed immediately after the funeral, while David DBrinsley Loy in concealment here, but ultimately fled to Spain. In order to hide the extent of this wretched man’s defaleations, my - brother caused the register to be sceretly removed from the office and brought here, but he could never bring himself to destroy it e always said that some day it must be restored. From that moment his life became a terror to him. On the night that T so abruptly entered the room when you and Samuel were together, | was 1n a state of horrible distress, for T had just discovered that David - Brinsley had cone out and nobody knew where he had cone to. He returned, however, at a very late hour @ and subse- quenrtly T heard from a private source that vo had caused the body of the supposed David Drinsley to be ex- humed. T knew then that 1t was no longer possible to keep our fearful sceret. T in- sisted on Brinsley leav- g the house for ever, and, disguised as a clergyman, he went to Spain.

“OAfter vour last visit I urged my brother to return the register to the office, but he sand he would not do that until he was assured RN

[Neat month will appear the first of the new series of 2 The Adventures of Sherlock Flolmes.”

STRANLD

ROGEIES GROWLED.

MAGALINT.

that Drinsley was out of the reach of the law though,vielding to my entreaties, he consented, with a view to its more cffectual concealment, to hide it in the stream. The next morning we found it had been removed, and guessing that you had sct a watch upon us, and fearing the dreadful exposure that would ensue, my dear brother's brain gave way, and, unable to cendure the misery of his position any longer, he drowned himself in the stream which had [ailed to keep his seeret. It s all over now the sorrow, the suffering, and heart-ache are ended o and after the Otful fever of life, which for him ought to have been almost without a care had it not been for the deception of the woman he loved, he sleeps

well. Inoa lidde while T shall jomn him, and realize that peace that the world cannot give.”

Such was Miss Trelawney’s sad story,

which T proved to he correct in every detail. And when T repeated it in substance to Mr. Rogers, he growled and said @ —

“ Ah ! it is ten thousand pities that he has cheated the Taw.”

As 1 have sad, My Rogers was an un- sentimental man, and judged cverything and cvervbody from his own matter - of - fact pomnt of view. Dut I,

while admitting that Ny, Irelawney was

weak and foolish n a worldly sense, could hardly repress a sigh ; and was tempted to say, “Judge not harshly, lest ye be judged harshly i re- turn.” Altogether 1t was o pathetic tale of a4 man’s love, a wo- man's fickleness, and full of a great moral lesson which we who arc not without somc veln of sentiment may take to heart.

Ndmivevs

of that cminent detective are also informed that == The Sign of Four,” the story of the wonderful adventure by

which he gained his reputation, can now be obtained at this ollice.

Price 3s. 0d. ]

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.