Cautiously he made his way to the glowing fire. What was that strange, sharp, rustling sound? He glanced fearfully over his shoulder. Jessie Bain was sitting upon the settle, gazing at him with terror-distended eyes. For an instant the girl was bewildered at her strange surroundings, then she recognized the butler who had left the Varrick mansion a few days before. What was she doing here in his presence? The last thing she remembered was standing over unconscious Gerelda, and guiding her hand to write the words that would save Hubert Varrick's life. As she looked she saw that same confession in the butler's hands. What was he doing with it? Great Gad! how came he by it? As she gazed she saw him carefully approach the grate, and hold the paper over the flames. With one bound Jessie Bain had reached his side and torn it from his grasp, just as the flames had caught at it. "What would you do?" she screamed. He looked at her with cunning eyes. "How came you by this?" he cried, in an awful voice, as he struggled with her desperately to gain the paper. No word answered him. "You shall not have it!" he cried, wrenching it from her by main force. "You shall not show this up to the world until it is too late to affect Hubert Varrick." A cry of agony burst from Jessie's death-white lips. She saw, in her terror, that the old butler had lost his reason, and yet withal he was so cunning. She pleaded with him on her knees, but it was useless. He muttered over and over again that she should not have the paper, that he would keep her there a prisoner until all was over. Despite her entreaties, to her great horror the man kept his word, and Jessie found herself a prisoner in the isolated place. She was too weak to make any effort to escape; there was none to hear her faint cries. It must be said for the man that he tended her as faithfully as a woman might have done; but he was deaf to her pitiful and desperate appeal. He taunted her from day to day with the knowledge that it wanted but one day more to Hubert Varrick's trial. At last the terrible time dawned. It seemed to Jessie that she would go mad with the horror of it. She tried with all her weak strength to break the firm old locks that held her a prisoner there, but it was useless, useless. The sun slowly climbed the heavens, and she knew, oh God! she knew what was to happen to Hubert Varrick within those hours. She sunk on her knees, crying out that if she could not aid the man she loved, that the same sun would set upon her lifeless form--she would kill herself. Hardly had this resolve become a fixed purpose with her, ere she became conscious of a loud knock at the door. "I-- I am a prisoner here!" she cried. "I beg you, whoever you are, break the lock of the door!" This was hastily complied with, and she saw standing before her two officers of the law. "Oh, sir!" she gasped, "take me to Hubert Varrick at once, or it will be too late to save him!"