Twenty-four hours passed, and still Hugh Trimble did not appear to
claim the thousand dollars promised him for the crime he had consented
to perpetrate. James Grey began to grow nervous. His nervousness
increased when another day passed and still no tidings.

On the third day he was about to set out for the woods, in defiance of
prudence, bent on terminating his suspense, when he received a letter
post-marked St. Louis. It was addressed in a strange hand. He opened it
curiously, but, as he read it, he turned pallid, and, when he had
mastered its contents, he sank into a chair, overcome.

This was the letter:

"ST. LOUIS, October --, 185--.

"MR. JAMES GREY: I write you as the attorney of Gilbert Grey,
claiming to be the son of your deceased elder brother, and as such
entitled to the large property of which you took possession at your
brother's death, and which you still hold, to his prejudice. He is
prepared to prove his identity by the written death-bed confession
of the clerk whom you employed to abduct him, the genuineness of
which document he is also in a condition to prove. It will not be
necessary to go into further particulars, since he tells me that he
has already conferred with you freely on the subject, and put you
in possession of all that he is able to prove.

"He is also prepared to show that you so far recognized the
strength of his claim, that in Cincinnati you endeavored to destroy
the written confession alluded to, and that on a later occasion you
entered into a conspiracy with one Hugh Trimble to murder him,
promising the said Trimble one thousand dollars for so doing. To
this Hugh Trimble is ready to swear, having repented his wicked
compact, and enlisted himself on the side of my client. _Though we
feel that exposure and punishment for this wicked plot should
justly be visited upon you, we agree to keep it secret provided you
interpose no obstacle to the immediate surrender to my client of
the property at present unjustly withheld from him._ It is
desirable that you come to St. Louis at once, and settle this
matter.

"Yours, respectfully,

"ANTHONY BATES."

When James Grey reached the conclusion of this letter he realized that
his plot had completely failed. His tool had turned against him, and he
was in the power of his nephew. There was but one answer to make to
this proposition. _He d