Part 22 (1/2)

”Worse and worse!” wailed the old lady ”Youwith hi to believe that he is suffering worse than we are”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A DANGEROUS CASE

”It's all over,” said Chester to himself ”That doctor's correct, and Iin the head

That drugging began it, and I'et square first, and I can't do so here I'll pack up and go on the Continent for a bit Change may make me able to think consistently Now my brain is in a whirl”

He tried to reason cal in the humour to see and explain to his sister, he wrote to her briefly, telling her that the anxiety and worry of the case to which he had been called that night had co he could do to recover his tone was to get right away for a ti, ould coain from abroad

This done, he fastened down the envelope and left the letter upon the table, after which he went to his rooht it doith Aunt Grace carefully watching from the top of the staircase, and sent the servant for a cab

Five minutes later he was on his way to his club to consult the tiuide-book as to the route to take

He was not long in deciding upon Tyrol as the starting-place for a long ht, and without returning home he would dine at the club and start frora the sar, he found the place half full, and, longing for solitude, he went out to stroll down the steps and into the Park for an hour, ending by taking one of the seats under an old el of all that had happened during the past feeeks

He was onceover the scenes by the wounded ain the every moveainst the trunk of the great tree and let his chin sink upon his breast, for there were steps just to the right, and two gentlerily, and the folloords smote like blows upon the listener's ears--

”Look here, if you want to quarrel, say so, Paddy But you're no saint, so don't you begin preaching morality I repeat I have taken a tremendous fancy to her; what then? As for Rob, curse hi! If it were not for the consequences I'm ready to wish that the shot had ended it, and I swear I'll--”

The last words died out into the night air, and, save for the preternaturally excited state of his brain, Chester would not have heard so ures of the brothers, who had passed hi indistinct as they went beyond the next lamp; and then he rose and followed

”'And I swear I'll--' what?” said Chester to himself ”Shoot o away; I must see this out to the very end”

Chester followed the pair with the full intention of de a scene with the elder brother, for his resenth his veins

They alking through the Palace Yard, and directly after they crossed the road and went up St Jarily; and he was just about to join therily off into the road, as if about to separate, but in an instant the elder had him by the arm and after a faint resistance led hi theh,” he said sharply, and both brothers turned upon him in surprise

”Yes; what is it?” cried the elder ”Oh, the , boy”

He turned short off, and before Chester could recover fro doors of one of the clubhouses and disappeared in the great hall

Chester was about to follow, but checked himself upon the threshold as the question arose in his mind, What for?

To demand an explanation of their conduct toward hiht demand it, but he knew that they would preserve the same attitude as before, and treat him with conte who claiet people to believe in his strange story--how could he advance his position with respect to Marion?

He calan to feel that to force a quarrel in the club to which these , that of the police being called in and his being ejected