“You are wrong,” returned the oth
er, calmly. “I shall not destroy you
by any ot the vulgar methods. Look
at that safe. The walls are ten inches
thick and air tight. Inclosed in that
vault you would live bat an hoar. I
shall put you in there, close the safe
with tne ordinary combination, which
is now set, and leave you there. To
morrow morning you will be found—
dead I How you came there will al
ways remain a mystery. You are not
known to have come here. lam sup
posed 10 be twenty miles away, as I
shall be as soon as I have completed
my work. What do you think of it?
Shall you escape, or shall I be detect
ed !’’
The devilish ingenuity ef his plan
struck poor Fielding with overwhelm
ing force.
Ho measured the powerful frame of
the man before him, and raw that he
would be as a child in his hands. He
saw that the safe would surely do its
deadly work. There was no aid to be
looked for—no mercy to expect. He
wu lost!
“Weill ” said Reynaud, divining his
thoughts, “are you ready to accept
the other alternative f”
“No!” replied Fielding. “Murder
me if you will I"
“I will give you five minutes to re
flect,” responded Reynaud, sitting
down near him and eyeing him curb*
ousl, T.
There was a dead silence in the room
for a moment; then the telegraph in
strument, disturbed by some exterior
current, began to click.
A sudden inspiration —a faint ray
of hope—shot into Fieldings heart.
He knew that the wire communicated
with the Ashley mansion. If he
could esnvey his peril by means of it
to any one there hs might yet be sav
ed.
