it his lips. Every fibre of him burned with
jealous hatred of this impostor.

If there had been only more of the brute left in the Gladwin strain
undoubtedly there would have been a sensational clash between the two
men for the benefit of the beautiful young girl who, Gladwin strove to
acknowledge, was the helpless pawn of circumstances. But the
refinements of blood rob the physical man of his savage resources and
impose a serious hamper upon his primordial impulses.

Helen came into the room with the thief's arm about her waist while
Gladwin stood dumbly at attention, his features hardened and
inscrutable.

At sight of his uniform and failing to recognize him in his disguise
the girl turned pale and uttered a frightened exclamation.

"Don't be alarmed, dear," the man at her side reassured her, smiling
down upon her, "this is only officer--" He looked up with a laughing
expression of inquiry.

"Murphy, sorr," responded Gladwin, through tightly compressed lips.

"Yes," the pretender nodded quickly. "Murphy, Officer Murphy, my
dear--looks after my house when I'm away. He is one of the city's best
little watchmen and he is going to see that everything is made safe
and secure after we have gone."

Helen breathed an exclamation of relief, but the fright in her eyes
lingered as the unconscious feeling struck in that the attitude of the
policeman seemed more than a trifle strained.

She carried a little grip in one hand, which the bogus Gladwin took
from her and handed to the real Gladwin, nodding significantly for him
to leave the room. Turning to Helen, he said:

"But why did you bring the bag, dear? My man told me he found your
trunk at the Grand Central Station."

"Yes," Helen answered, "but auntie insisted that I go to the opera, so
I had to pack my travelling dress. I slipped out of the opera during
the entre act, and went home to change my gown. I was so frightened
and in such a dreadful state of nerves that I couldn't."

A shudder ran through her and she seemed on the point of breaking down
when the man with whom she had chosen to elope drew her to him and
said with what had every expression of genuine tenderness:

"There, there, dear! Calm yourself. Why, you're trembling like a leaf.
There is nothing to be frightened about now."

She yielded to his embrace and he bent down his head to kiss her on
the lips.

Whatever he projected in the nature of an enduring osculation was
spoiled as Gladwin dropped t