t mother always believed they held the
key to the discovery of the guilty party; and afterward she left them to
me, with the charge that I should never suffer them to pass from my
possession until they had fulfilled their destiny of witnessing against
the murderer--for whatever Mr. Willcoxen might think, mother felt
convinced that the writer of those letters and the murderer of Marian
was the same person."

"Tell me more about those letters."

"Dear Paul, I know nothing more about them; I told you that I was not
sufficiently familiar with the French language to read them."

"But it is strange that you never made yourself acquainted with their
contents by getting some one else to read them for you."

"Dear Paul, you know that I was a mere child when they first came into
my possession, accompanied with the charge that I should never part with
them until they had done their office. I felt bound by my promise, I was
afraid of losing them, and of those persons that I could trust none knew
French, except our brother, and he had already pronounced them
irrelevant to the question. Besides, for many reasons, I was shy of
intruding upon brother."

"Does he know that you have the packet?"

"I suppose he does not even know that."

"I confess," said Paul, "that if Thurston believed them to have no
connection with the murder, I have so much confidence in his excellent
judgment, that I am inclined to reverse my hasty opinion, and to think
as he does, at least until I see the letters. I remember, too, that the
universal opinion at the time was that the poor young lady had fallen a
victim to some marauding waterman--the most likely thing to have
happened. But, to satisfy you, Miriam, if you will trust me with those
letters, I will give them a thorough and impartial study, and then, if I
find no clue to the perpetrator of that diabolical deed, I hope, Miriam,
that you will feel yourself free from the responsibility of pursuing the
unknown demon--a pursuit which I consider worse than a wild-goose
chase."

They were interrupted by the entrance of the boy with the mail bag. Paul
emptied the contents of it upon the table. There were letters for Mr.
Willcoxen, for Miriam, and for Paul himself. Those for Mr. Willcoxen
were sent up to him by the boy. Miriam's letter was from Alice Morris,
announcing her approaching marriage with Olive Murray, a young lawyer of
Washington, and inviting and entreating Miriam to come to the city and
be h