A SECRET OF TELEGRAPH HILL

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5892, 25 July 1890, Page 4

A SECRET OF TELEGRAPH HILL

[BY BRET HAP-TK]

CHAPTER IV. {Coninued).

Ten minutes later he ostentatiously returned to the house by the front door, and proceeded up tho stairs to his own room. As ho cast a glance around ho saw that tho music stool had been moved before tho fire, evidently with the view of attracting his s. attention. Lying upon it, care ;ully folded, t was tho veil that she had wo n. There ] o.uld be no doubt that it was left there ] purposely. With a smile at this strange \ girl's last characteristis act of timid, but j compromising, recklessness after all his ( precautions, ho raised it tenderly to his l lips and then hastened to hide it from the ] reach of vulgar eyes. But had Cherry i known that its temporary resting placo that ■ night was under his sho might have doubted his superior caution. When ho returned from the bank the next afternoon, Cherryrappcdostentatiously at his door. " Mother wishes mo to ask you," sho began with a certaiu prim formality which nevertheless did not preclude dimples, " if you would give us the pleasure of your company at our church festival to-night? There will be a concert and a collation. Yo.i could accompany us there if you cared. Our friends and Tappington's wo.'d bo so glad to see you, and Dr. Stout wov'd bo delighted to make your acquaintance." -"Certainly!" said Herbert, delighted and yet astounded. "Then," he added in a lower voice, " your mother no longer believes me so dreadfully culpable ?" •' Oh! no," said Cherry iv a hurried whisper, glancing up and "down the passage, *' I've been talkina: to her about it, and she is satisfied that it is all a jealous trick and slander of these neighbors. Why, I told hor that they had even said that I was that mysterious woman ; that I came that way to you because she had forbidden mv seeing you openly." " What! "You dared say that ?" "Yes; don'i you see? Suppose they said they had seen mo coming in last night—that answers it," ehe Eaid triumphantly. " Oh ! it does P" ho said vacantly. " Perfectly. So she's convinced that she ought to put you on the same footing as Tappington, before everybody ; and I then there won't bo any trouble. You'll come, won't you? It won't be so very good. And then I've told mother that as there have been so many street fights and so much talk about the vigilance committee lately, I ought to havo somebody for an escort when I was coming home. And if you're kno vfli as ono of us, there'll bo no harm in your meeting me." '•Thank you," he snid, extending his hand gratefully. Her fingers rested a moment in his. "Where did you put it?" she said demurely. " It? Oh .' its all safe," he said quickly, bnt somewhat vaguely. "But I don't call the urper drawer of your bureau safe," she returned poutingly. " where everybody can go. 5.0 you'll find it now inside the harmonium, on tho keyboard." "Oil, thank you." " It's gui . 11.rural to have left it there accidentally—isn't it r" sho said imploringly, n. si.-tod by all her dimples. Alas ! she had forgotten that he was trtill holding her hand. Consequently, she had not timo to snatch it away aud vauU.li, with a stifled little cry, before ii had been pressed two or three times to his lips. A little itsbatn.d o. his own boldness, Herbert remained for a fow moments in the doorway listening, and looking uneasily down the dark passage. Presently a .light sound came over the fanlight of Cherry's room. Could he believe his ears? The saint-like Cherry—no doubt, tutored, for example's sake, by tbe perfect Tappington—was softly whistling. In this simple fashion tho first p'ige. of this little idyl wero quietly turned. The book might havo been closed or laid aside even then. But it so chanced that Cherry was an unconscious prophet; and pre .ntly I it actually became a prudcutia. necessity for her to have a umsculin. escort when she walked out. Jtora growing state of lawlessness and crime culminated one day the deep tocsin of tiie vigilance committee, and at its stroke fifty thousand peaceful men, reverting to tho first principles of social safety, sprang to arms, assembled at their quarters, or patrolled the streets. In another lour the city of San Francisco was in the hands of a mob—the most peaceful, orderly, well organised, and temperate the world had ever known, aud yet i-.i conception as lawless, autocratic, and imperious ns the conditions it opposed.

I CHAPTER V. Herbert, enrolled in the same section with hiß employer and one or two fellow-clerks, had participated in tho meetings of the committee with tho light-boarteduess and irresponsibility of youth, regretting only the loss of his usual walk with Cherry and the hours that kept him from her house. Hu vi as returning from a protracted meeting one night when tho number of arrests and searching, for proscribed aud suspected characters had been to large as to induce fears of organized resistance and rescue, and on reaching the foot of tho hill found it already so late that, to avoid disturbing the family, he resolved to enter his room directly by the doT in tho side street. On inserting his key in the lock it met with B.me resisting obstacle, which, however, yielded and apparently dropped on the mat inside. Opening the door and stepping into the perfectly dark apartment, he trod upon this object, which proved to be another key. Tho family must have procured it for their convenience during his absence, and, after locking the door, had carelessly left it in tLe lock. It was lucky that it had yielded so readily. Tho fire had gone out. Ho closed the door and lit the frus, and after talcing oil his overcoat moved to tho door leading into the pas. age to listen if anybody was still stirring. To his utter astonishment he found it locked. What was more remarkable—tho key was also inside !Au inexplicable feeling took possession of him. Ho glane.d suddenly around tho room, and then his eye fell upon tho bed. Lying there, *• tretelied at full length, was tho recumbent figure of a man. Ho was apparently in tho profound . leep of utter exhaustion. TLe attitude of his limbs and the order of his dre_s—of which only arid cravat had been loosened —showed that sleep must have overtaken him almost instantly. In fact, the bed \vascarcely disturbed beyond tho actual impress of tbe figure. Ho seemed to be a handsome, matured man of about -Hi, his darkotraitrht Lair was a little thinned over the temples, although his long heavy iu.u.tac.ho was still youthful and virgin. Hi., clothes, whioh were ek__uLly cut and of liner material than that iv ordinary mo, the-delicacy ami neatness of hi. linen, the whiten..-s of his hand, and, more p.riiuulariy, a oe.Uin dissipated pull or of compaction and line, of r.-eltlcs. ;ie... on the brow and check indicated to Herbert that lhe man before him v.-;u; one of that desperate nnd . us;:coi_<_ class—some of wJio.se proscribe . inem'ner. he had been hunting—the professional ff'Uiiblcr ! (to in-: costinuku j