The Dugdale Millions — page 257: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

COMPLICATIONS. 244 upon the other side, leaving Mrs. Stanton in much agitation, gratefully thankful that the ordeal she had so much dreaded when she saw Bob enter, had passed so quickly. He had hardly passed out of sight when Mr. Stan- ton entered. He was too much engrossed in the busi- ness he had been upon to notice his wife’s evident confusion, and said abruptly: ‘*T have not been able to ascertain a single fact con- cerning the shipment of that bundle. It came to the station addressed tome prepaid and the way-bill does not discover who the shipper was. The expressman who brought it here was the local man, directed to do so by the station agent. The more I consider this matter, the more convinced I am, that young Mason was correct in saying that a close relation exists between Harold Pierson’s claim to be young Dugdale and the burglary of Wednesday night. You see,’’ he went on, In an argumentative tone, “‘either young Pierson, or those acting for him, must have known of Mrs. Jenkins coming to this house, and that she car- ried with her a box, the contents of which related in some degree to the adoption of Edmund Dugdale’s chid. Now Iam not quite prepared to go so far as young Mason does in assuining that it 1s proof positive that the claim of Pierson is necessarily thereby a fraudulent one. It is quite possible that he has been persuaded to believe, although Mr. Hetlow’s treat- ment of him would not justify the conclusion, that if the contents of this box were to prove his claim they would be concealed from him by Mr. Hetlow and those acting for him, and that therefore he was justified in resorting to such desperate means to obtain posses- sion of it.’’ ‘I don’t see any reason why Mr. Mason should regard Mr. Pierson with such enmity,’’ replied Mrs. Stanton, now quite composed, finding. that her hus- band had not noticed traces of agitation in herself, Comicloeo S 3