all. In doing so a groan caught her ear and advancing to the corner from
whence it issued, Helen perceved a sort of pallet bed streached on the
floor, covered with a singal blankett. Placing the candle on the floor
close by, Helen knelt down and with trembling hands and a quaking heart
pulled the covering away. And then--no wonder Helen uttered that low
stifled cry; for there with his pale thin face turned towards her and
his skeleton hands clutching at the blankett, there with his eyes dim
and sunken and his breath coming quick and short lay Cyril Sheene alias
Mr. Harland. For a moment Helen could not utter a sound, the words
seemed to stick in her throat, and she knelt gazing in horror and
amazement at the fast-dying man. It was Cyril who broke the awful
silence, "Helen" he whispered brokenly "what a long time you were
coming."

"I never dreamt it was you Cyril" answered Helen taking his thin hand in
hers, for now all her heart seemed to warm towards the man who had
wronged her so much and who was so soon going to leave her.

"No of course not" replied the dying man "you never thought I would
come to this--(here he stopped for breath), "but I want to tell you this
before I die."

"Cyril you must not die" cried Helen, opening her basket and producing
some wine.

"No, no" gasped Cyril pushing the glass away "its no use, I know I'm
dying, the doctor said so; give me some water to ease my throat and I'll
go on."

Helen gave him his wish and then knelt down beside him while he
continued.

"After I left you Helen, that day you went to Richmond, I intended going
to Picadilly to pawn some things as I had no money to pay my debts. When
I got back to my amazement a letter from Mr. Palsey was waiting for me,
which explained that the police were already on our track and that if I
valued my life I had better leave London and go to some place with him.
Of course I had no choice but to go, but oh Helen if you could have
known my feelings when I thought I should not see you again. Hastily I
scrawled a note to you and added a few lines to my will, you read them
did'nt you?"

Helen nodded in assent.

"Well" continued Cyril, "having made my preparations, I started off to
meet Palsey. We traveled together. I forget where we were going. Palsey
told me how he had escaped after he had been locked up in the drawing
room. We had to change at Charing Cross I think and scarcely had we set
foot on the platform, when up came two police