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The ether raspingly

"Go on," said Kent a little thickly

"He has also sent Inspector Kedsty the same word," finished Father Layonne "His word to Kedsty is that he can see no fighting chance for you, and that it is useless effort on his part to put up a defense for you Jiently

Kent's face hite He faced the , and for a space he did not see Then with pencil and paper he wrote again to Fingers

It was late in the afternoon before Father Layonne returned with an answer Again it was verbal Fingers had read his note and had burned it with a match He was particular that the last scrap of it was turned into ash, theto say to Kent that he had not previously said He sio on with their plans And he requested Kent not to write to hiain He was sorry, but that was his definite stand in thehimself to believe All the rest of the day he tried to put hi his personality in that of another failed hie in Fingers, unless it hat Fingers had frankly confessed to Father Layonne--fear The influence of mind, in this instance, had failed in its assault upon a one back on him

The fifth day Kent rose from his cot with hope still not quite dead in his heart But that day passed and the sixth, and the ers again, sitting froht on his porch

On the seventh day caed He, Kent, was to start for Ede of Pelly and a special constable!

After this Kent felt a strange change come over him Years seemed to multiply theer continued in its old channels of thought The thing pressed upon hiers had failed hi had failed, and for the first ti worse than death, he cursed himself There was a limit to optimism and a limit to hope His limit was reached

In the afternoon of this seventh day ca rain Hour after hour this drizzle kept up, thickening as the night caht o'clock it was black outside In that blackness there was an occasional flash of lightning and rumble of thunder On the roof of the barracks the rain beat steadily and monotonously