lamp and held it over the inventor. put it down and knelt by the dead man.

66

'Iggins!" He whispered it, caution and prudence always accompanying him whenever he was calm enough to think of the great road of advantage. "Ralph!" He took the man's arm and slightly shook him. All the time fear was creeping over him so that he could hear a vaguely toned voice say, “You've let yourself in for something now. . . . Killed a chap!"

It will be

And his mind said vigorously, "I haven't. I didn't kill him. . . . If he's dead I didn't do it. He was half starved and these drinkers. . . a rotten thing to be mixed up with this, all the samewith that smashed machine there. . . . Better get

out of it. .

"Ralph!" he whispered it in the man's ear lest anyone outside should hear his voice. There was no answer, of course, and Ewins knew the inventor was dead.

Ewins at all times shrank from death: he hated the idea of it; never even discussed it if he could avoid it for he wanted to go on living and accumulating money.

And here was a dead man at his feet!

Yet there was a greater emotion for Ewins than the odd feeling of discomfort the presence of the corpse provided: there was the future. What would people say if they knew? He-Thomas Ewins-had smashed Ralph Higgins's patent and . . andwell, he hadn't killed Higgins. Higgins had killed himself. But what 'ud folks say?

Ewins, without words, was crying this out to himself. Nothing approaching the appearance of a con

science peeped out; he did not accuse himself of anything, but he foresaw the accusation of others—envious people and such like. Ewins countered it at once. He was not to be caught.

His thoughts went on: Higgins was a drinker; everyone knew that. He got drunk regularly and was half starved. Heart, that's what it was. A weak heart. Drinkers always had rotten hearts.

And the patent? . . . . Damn the patent! What did that matter now? It was smashed to atoms. He really felt a grim satisfaction. But what would be said? . . Higgins had failed, eh? . . . In his despair he had smashed the patent and then tumbled By Gum! Yes. Why not? . . .

over. .

It sounded all right. The machine on the floor and .

Nobody saw. Nobody heard. There were no blows on Higgins—a lump on the back of his head perhaps, but nothing more.

Ewins felt secure. He only had to get away, get out of this cottage and home without anybody seeing him, and all would be well. It would that, with that patent smashed to smithereens! All would be well.

He'd better be going. It was no good staying where he was, particularly with that corpse-ugh! He shuddered. He seemed to feel the clammy figure of Death near him. He must get out at once. He picked up

his hat and blew out the lamp.

Then he noticed the door was open.

That gave him a shock, for he remembered distinctly shutting the door.

hearing or seeing.

He did it to prevent anyone

Yes, he remembered shut

ting it. Had the wind blown it open? Or had some

body opened it? Nobody had seen, surely? But that door was shut. .

He crept to the door and looked out. There was nobody about. Was it the wind? . . Must ha' been, he said to himself. If it had been anybody else they'd have made a noise, spoken. . . In he'd better get away as fast as he could.

any case

He crept out like a dog that knows it is in disgrace. He looked for the safest way, which meant the way where he seemed most likely not to meet anyone who knew him.

There was nobody on the New Road so far as he could see. He looked across the fields; there were couples there-damn them and their courtin'! Bending his head, he walked with quiet and speedy step away from the dead man and his treasure.

TH

HOMAS EWINS went along the road scarcely master of his movements. He felt alternately light and heavy, one moment it seemed to him that he was no longer ponderable-a thing of mere tingling atoms without solidity-and the next that he was so fatigued he could not control his feet or knees or any of his members.

He wanted to emit little sounds to relieve himself, and looked furtively round lest anybody should see him. “Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" he moaned after a time when he was able to lean against a gate. There were no walls near, only hedges. He was breathing heavily and pushed his hat back from his forehead. “Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" He shook his head and was white almost as death. The passion, excitement and fear had tried him more than he had realised.

Slowly his control returned. He was able to envisage the situation more calmly and was not wholly consumed with the one desire to escape. He had escaped, in a sense, and that perhaps was the reason. The incidents insisted on returning

He put his hand to his head as if to steady his thoughts, and bring back in some reasonable shape, in some way that he could well master as he understood them, the events of the last half hour.

The smell of the lamp, the crash on the stick and the thud of Higgins's head on the floor.

Phew... He certainly was taxing his heart. He looked round-he thought he saw a shadowNo

Smashed! The machine was smashed-and Ralph Higgins was dead.

Dead! He shuddered at the idea. Dead It was something awful. Why was there such a thing as death at all? He felt horribly uncomfortable. He always did when the idea of death was thrust on him. Higgins living-shouting, cursing, working his machine and then click! . . . dead . . Phew! . Heart disease. aye! heart disease . . He would be found! Ewins shuddered, for he pictured the ashen corpse. And what would they say when they found him? They'd fetch the policeDamn the shadow! What was it? . . . He shook himself. Something seemed to be running over him, inside his clothes.

Yes, heart disease. These drinkers always had weak hearts. . Nobody could say he (Ewins) had done anything. No . . . What a bit of luck! There would be no marks on Higgins-no, not a bit of a mark. Except on the back of his head, of course.

Peuh! . . . He wiped his face with his pocket handkerchief. Peuh! . . . He was breathing very heavily. He looked round. There was nobody about. That was a bit of luck, too, he thought. People in the

distance, but nobody near

Dead. Ralph Higgins dead! He had never seen anything like it in his life before. Just flopped over-dead. Ugh. . . Ewins shuddered.

Something satisfactory and pleasant relieved him.