in case she had married this _x_ be remembered, as well as the
tenacity with which Mary clung to her hopes of future fortune; while for
the corroborative testimony of her guilt which Eleanore is supposed
to have had, remember that previous to the key having been found in
Eleanore's possession, she had spent some time in her cousin's room; and
that it was at Mary's fireplace the half-burned fragments of that letter
were found,--and you have the outline of a report which in an hour's
time from this will lead to the arrest of Mary Leavenworth as the
assassin of her uncle and benefactor."

A silence ensued which, like the darkness of Egypt, could be felt;
then a great and terrible cry rang through the room, and a man's form,
rushing from I knew not where, shot by me and fell at Mr. Gryce's feet
shrieking out:

"It is a lie! a lie! Mary Leavenworth is innocent as a babe unborn. I am
the murderer of Mr. Leavenworth. I! I! I!"

It was Trueman Harwell.

XXXVII. CULMINATION

"Saint seducing gold."
--Romeo and Juliet.

"When our actions do not,
Our fears do make us traitors."
--Macbeth.

I NEVER saw such a look of mortal triumph on the face of a man as that
which crossed the countenance of the detective.

"Well," said he, "this is unexpected, but not wholly unwelcome. I am
truly glad to learn that Miss Leavenworth is innocent; but I must hear
some few more particulars before I shall be satisfied. Get up,
Mr. Harwell, and explain yourself. If you are the murderer of Mr.
Leavenworth, how comes it that things look so black against everybody
but yourself?"

But in the hot, feverish eyes which sought him from the writhing form at
his feet, there was mad anxiety and pain, but little explanation. Seeing
him making unavailing efforts to speak, I drew near.

"Lean on me," said I, lifting him to his feet.

His face, relieved forever from its mask of repression, turned towards
me with the look of a despairing spirit. "Save! save!" he gasped. "Save
her--Mary--they are sending a report--stop it!"

"Yes," broke in another voice. "If there is a man here who believes in
God and prizes woman's honor, let him stop the issue of that report."
And Henry Clavering, dignified as ever, but in a state of extreme
agitation, stepped into our midst through an open door at our right.

But at the sight of his face, the man in our arms quivered, shrieked,
and gave one bound that would have overturned Mr. Cla