THE DOCTOR
HSWffl :&
T H CLOCK.
r ,
AUTONYM LIBRARY
THE DOCTOR
HIS WIFE
AND THE CLOCK
BY
ANNA KATHARINE GREEN
(MRS. CHARLES ROHLFS)
Author of " The Leavenworth Case," " Hand and
Ring," " Marked ' Personal,' " etc., etc.
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
NEW YORK LONDON
27 West Twenty-third Street 24 Bedford Street, Strand
C^c |inichcrbothcr |)rtss
1895
COPYRIGHT, 1895
BY
ANNA KATHARINE ROHLFS
All rights reserved
Electrotyped, Printed and Bound by
"Cbc ftnicfecrbocfccr press, IWcw
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
THE DOCTOR, HIS WIFE, AND
THE CLOCK
2200593
The Doctor, his Wife,
and the Clock.
I.
ON the i;th of July, 1851, a
tragedy of no little interest
occurred in one of the residences
of the Colonnade in Lafayette
Place.
Mr. Hasbrouck, a well-known
and highly respected citizen, was
attacked in his room by an un-
known assailant, and shot dead
before assistance could reach him.
His murderer escaped, and the
problem offered to the police was,
how to identify this person who,
by some happy chance or by the
3
ttbe t>octor, bis tdife
exercise of the most remarkable
forethought, had left no traces be-
hind him, or any clue by which
he could be followed.
The affair was given to a young
man, named Ebenezer Gryce, to
investigate, and the story, as he
tells it, is this :
When, some time after mid-
night, I reached Lafayette Place,
I found the block lighted from
end to end. Groups of excited
men and women peered from the
open doorways, and mingled their
shadows with those of the huge
pillars which adorn the front of
this picturesque block of dwell-
ings.
The house in which the crime
had been committed was near the
centre of the row, and, long be-
fore I reached it, I had learned
anD tbe Clock
from more than one source that
the alarm was first given to the
street by a woman's shriek, and
secondly by the shouts of an old
man-servant who had appeared, in
a half-dressed condition, at the
window of Mr. Hasbrouck's room,
crying " Murder ! murder! "
But when I had crossed the
threshold, I was astonished at the
paucity of the facts to be gleaned
from the inmates themselves. The
old servitor, who was the first to
talk, had only this account of the
crime to give.
The family, which consisted of
Mr. Hasbrouck, his wife, and three
servants, had retired for the night
at the usual hour and under the
usual auspices. At eleven o'clock
the lights" were all extinguished,
and the whole household asleep,
with the possible exception of Mr.
Doctor, bis "Mite
Hasbrouck himself, who, being a
man of large business responsibili-
ties, was frequently troubled with
insomnia.
Suddenly Mrs. Hasbrouck woke
with a start. Had she dreamed
the words that were ringing in her
ears, or had they been actually
uttered in her hearing ? They
were short, sharp words, full of
terror and menace, and she had
nearly satisfied herself that -she
had imagined them, when there
came, from somewhere near the
door, a sound she neither under-
stood nor could interpret, but
which filled her with inexplicable
terror, and made her afraid to
breathe, or even to stretch forth
her hand towards her husband,
whom she supposed to be sleeping
at her side. At length another
strange sound, which she was sure
an& tbe Clock
was not due to her imagination,
drove her to make an attempt to
rouse him, when she was horrified
to find that she was alone in the
bed, and her husband nowhere
within reach.
Filled now with something more
than nervous apprehension, she
flung herself to the floor, and tried
to penetrate, with frenzied glances,
the surrounding darkness. But
the blinds and shutters both hav-
ing been carefully closed by Mr.
Hasbrouck before retiring, she
found this impossible, and she
was about to sink in terror to the
floor, when she heard a low gasp
on the other side of the room,
followed by the suppressed cry :
" God ! what have I done ! "
The voice was a strange one,
but before the fear aroused by
this fact could culminate in a
Cbe Sector, bis TIClife
shriek of dismay, she caught the
sound of retreating footsteps, and,
eagerly listening, she heard them
descend the stairs and depart by
the front door.
Had she known what had oc-
curred had there been no doubt
in her mind as to what lay in the
darkness on the other side of the
room it is likely that, at the noise
caused by the closing front door,
she would have made at once for
the balcony that opened out from
the window before which she was
standing, and taken one look at
the flying figure below. But her
uncertainty as to what lay hidden
from her by the darkness chained
her feet to the floor, and there is
no knowing when she would have
moved, if a carriage had not at that
moment passed down Astor Place,
bringing with it a sense of com-
an& the Clock
panionship which broke the spell
that held her, and gave her
strength to light the gas, which
was in ready reach of her hand.
As the sudden blaze illuminated
the room, revealing in a burst the
old familiar walls and well-known
pieces of furniture, she felt for a
moment as if released from some
heavy nightmare and restored to
the common experiences of life.
But in another instant her former
dread returned, and she found
herself quaking at the prospect of
passing around the foot of the
bed into that part of the room
which was as yet hidden from her
eyes.
But the desperation which
comes with great crises finally
drove her from her retreat ; and,
creeping slowly forward, she cast
one glance at the floor before her,
Cbe Doctor, bis Mite
when she found her worst fears
realized by the sight of the dead
body of her husband lying prone
before the open doorway, with a
bullet-hole in his forehead.
Her first impulse was to shriek,
but, by a powerful exercise of will,
she checked herself, and, ringing
frantically for the servants who
slept on the top-floor of the house,
flew to the nearest window and
endeavored to open it. But the
shutters had been bolted so se-
curely by Mr. Hasbrouck, in his
endeavor to shut out light and
sound, that by the time she had
succeeded in unfastening them, all
trace of the flying murderer had
vanished from the street.
Sick with grief and terror, she
stepped back into the room just as
the three frightened servants de-
scended the stairs. As they ap-
anD tbe Clock
peared in the open doorway, she
pointed at her husband's inani-
mate form, and then, as if sud-
denly realizing in its full force the
calamity which had befallen her,
she threw up her arms, and sank
forward to the floor in a dead
faint.
The two women rushed to her
assistance, but the old butler,
bounding over the bed, sprang to
the window, and shrieked his
alarm to the street.
In the interim that followed,
Mrs. Hasbrouck was revived, and
the master's body laid decently on
the bed ; but no pursuit was
made, nor any inquiries started
likely to assist me in establishing
the identity of the assailant.
Indeed, every one, both in the
house and out, seemed dazed by
the unexpected catastrophe, and
12 Gbe Doctor, bis TWUfe
as no one had any suspicions to
offer as to the probable murderer,
I had a difficult task before me.
I began, in the usual way, by
inspecting the scene of the mur-
der. I found nothing in the room,
or in the condition of the body it-
self, which added an iota to the
knowledge already obtained. That
Mr. Hasbrouck had been in bed ;
that he had risen upon hearing a
noise ; and that he had been shot
before reaching the door, were
self-evident facts. But there was
nothing to guide me further. The
very simplicity of the circum-
stances caused a dearth of clues,
which made the difficulty of pro-
cedure as great as any I ever
encountered.
My search through the hall and
down the stairs elicited nothing;
and an investigation of the bolts
anfc the Ctocfc 13
and bars by which the house was
secured, assured me that the assas-
sin had either entered by the front
door, or had already been secreted
in the house when it was locked
up for the night.
" I shall have to trouble Mrs.
Hasbrouck for a short interview,"
I hereupon announced to the
trembling old servitor, who had
followed me like a dog about the
house.
He made no demur, and in a
few minutes I was ushered into
the presence of the newly made
widow, who sat quite alone, in a
large chamber in the rear. As I
crossed the threshold she looked
up, and I encountered a good
plain face, without the shadow of
guile in it.
" Madam," said I, " I have not
come to disturb you. I will ask
14 tTbe 2>octor, his tdife
two or three questions only, and
then leave you to your grief. I
am told that some words came
from the assassin before he de-
livered his fatal shot. Did you
hear these distinctly enough to
tell me what they were ? "
*' I was sound asleep," said she,
" and dreamt, as I thought, that a
fierce, strange voice cried some-
where to some one : ' Ah ! you
did not expect me ! ' But I dare
not say that these words were
really uttered to my husband, for
he was not the man to call forth
hate, and only a man in the ex-
tremity of passion could address
such an exclamation in such a
tone as rings in my memory in
connection with the fatal shot
which woke me."
" But that shot was not the
work of a friend," I argued. " If,
anb tbc Clock 15
as these words seem to prove, the
assassin had some other motive
than gain in his assault, then your
husband had an enemy, though
you never suspected it."
" Impossible ! " was her steady
reply, uttered in the most con-
vincing tone. "The man who
shot him was a common burglar,
and, frightened at having been
betrayed into murder, fled with-
out looking for booty. I am sure
I heard him cry out in terror and
remorse : ' God ! what have I
done ! ' '
" Was that before you left the
side of the bed ? "
" Yes ; I did not move from
my place till I heard the front
door close. I was paralyzed by
my fear and dread."
" Are you in the habit of trust-
ing to the security of a latch-lock
only in the fastening of your front
door at night? I am told that
the big key was not in the lock,
and that the bolt at the bottom
of the door was not drawn."
" The bolt at the bottom of the
door is never drawn. Mr. Has-
brouck was so good a man he
never mistrusted any one. That
is why the big lock was not fas-
tened. The key, not working well,
he took it some days ago to the lock-
smith, and when the latter failed
to return it, he laughed, and said
he thought no one would ever
think of meddling with his front
door."
" Is there more than one night-
key to your house ? " I now asked.
She shook her head.
<; And when did Mr. Hasbrouck
last use his ? "
" To-night, when he came home
an& tbc Clocfc 17
from prayer -meeting," she an-
swered, and burst into tears.
Her grief was so real and her
loss so recent that I hesitated to
afflict her by further questions.
So returning to the scene of the
tragedy, I stepped out upon the
balcony which ran in front. Soft
voices instantly struck my ears.
The neighbors on either side were
grouped in front of their own win-
dows, and were exchanging the
remarks natural under the circum-
stances. I paused, as in duty
bound, and listened. But I heard
nothing worth recording, and
would have instantly re-entered
the house, if I had not been im-
pressed by the appearance of a
very graceful woman who stood
at my right. She was clinging to
her husband, who was gazing at
one of the pillars before him in a
i8 Cbe Doctor, bis tdife
strange, fixed way which aston-
ished me till he attempted to
move, and then I saw that he was
blind. Instantly I remembered
that there lived in this row a blind
doctor, equally celebrated for his
skill and for his uncommon per-
sonal attractions, and, greatly in-
terested not only in his affliction,
but in the sympathy evinced for
him by his young and affectionate
wife, I stood still till I heard her
say in the soft and appealing tones
of love :
" Come in, Constant ; you have
heavy duties for to-morrow, and
you should get a few hours' rest,
if possible."
He came from the shadow of
the pillar, and for one minute I
saw his face with the lamplight
shining full upon it. It was as
regular of feature as a sculptured
Adonis, and it was as white.
anfc tbc Clocfc 19
" Sleep ! " he repeated, in the
measured tones of deep but sup-
pressed feeling. " Sleep ! with
murder on the other side of the
wall ! " And he stretched out his
arms in a dazed way that insensi-
bly accentuated the horror I my-
self felt of the crime which had so
lately taken place in the room be-
hind me.
She, noting the movement, took
one of the groping hands in her
own and drew him gently towards
her.
" This way," she urged ; and,
guiding him into the house, she
closed the window and drew down
the shades, making the street seem
darker by the loss of her exquisite
presence.
This may seem a digression, but
I was at the time a young man of
thirty, and much under the do-
minion of woman's beauty. I was
G"be Doctor, bis TICltfe
therefore slow in leaving the bal-
cony, and persistent in my wish
to learn something of this remark-
able couple before leaving Mr.
Hasbrouck's house.
The story told me was very sim-
ple. Dr. Zabriskie had not been
born blind, but had become so
after a grievous illness which had
stricken him down soon after he
received his diploma. Instead of
succumbing to an affliction which
would have daunted most men, he
expressed his intention of prac-
tising his profession, and soon be-
came so successful in it that he
found no difficulty in establishing
himself in one of the best-paying
quarters of the city. Indeed, his
intuition seemed to have devel-
oped in a remarkable degree after
his loss of sight, and he seldom, if
ever, made a mistake in diagnosis.
anD tbe Clocfc 21
Considering this fact, and the per-
sonal attractions which gave him
distinction, it was no wonder that
he soon became a popular phy-
sician whose presence was a bene-
faction and whose word a law.
He had been engaged to be
married at the time of his illness,
and, when he learned what was
likely to be its results, had offered
to release the young lady from all
obligation to him. But she would
not be released, and they were
married. This had taken place
some five years previous to Mr.
Hasbrouck's death, three of which
had been spent by them in Lafay-
ette Place.
So much for the beautiful woman
next door.
There being absolutely no clue
to the assailant of Mr. Hasbrouck,
I naturally looked forward to the
Doctor, bis TUlife
inquest for some evidence upon
which to work. But there seemed
to be no underlying facts to this
tragedy. The most careful study
into the habits and conduct of the
deceased brought nothing to light
save his general beneficence and
rectitude, nor was there in his his-
tory or in that of his wife any secret
or hidden obligation calculated to
provoke any such act of revenge
as murder. Mrs. Hasbrouck's sur-
mise that the intruder was simply
a burglar, and that she had rather
imagined than heard the words
that pointed to the shooting as a
deed of vengeance, soon gained
general credence. But, though
the police worked long and ar-
duously in this new direction,
their efforts were without fruit,
and the case bade fair to remain
an unsolvable mystery.
an> tbe Clock 23
But the deeper the mystery the
more persistently does my mind
cling to it, and some five months
after the matter had been dele-
gated to oblivion, I found myself
starting suddenly from sleep, with
these words ringing in my ears :
" WJw uttered the scream that
gave the first alarm of Mr. Has-
brouctts violent death f "
I was in such a state of excite-
ment that the perspiration stood
out on my forehead. Mrs. Has-
brouck's story of the occurrence
returned to me, and I remembered
as distinctly as if she were then
speaking, that she had expressly
stated that she did not scream
when confronted by the sight of
her husband's dead body. But
some one had screamed, and that
very loudly. Who was it, then?
One of the maids, startled by the
24 Cbe 2>octor, bis "BDlife
sudden summons from below, or
some one else some involuntary
witness of the crime, whose testi-
mony had been suppressed at the
inquest, by fear or influence?
The possibility of having come
upon a clue even at this late day,
so fired my ambition, that I took
the first opportunity of revisiting
Lafayette Place. Choosing such
persons as I thought most open to
my questions, I learned that there
were many who could testify to
having heard a woman's shrill
scream on that memorable night
just prior to the alarm given by
old Cyrus, but no one who could
tell from whose lips it had come.
One fact, however, was immedi-
ately settled. It had not been the
result of the servant-women's fears.
Both of the girls were positive that
they had uttered no sound, nor
anD tbe Clocfc 25
had they themselves heard any,
till Cyrus rushed to the window
with his wild cries. As the scream,
by whomever given, was uttered
before they descended the stairs, I
was convinced by these assurances
that it had issued from one of the
front windows, and not from the
rear of the house, where their own
rooms lay. Could it be that it had
sprung from the adjoining dwell-
ing, and that My thoughts
went no further, but I made up
my mind to visit the Doctor's
house at once.
It took some courage to do this,
for the Doctor's wife had attended
the inquest, and her beauty, seen
in broad daylight, had worn such
an aspect of mingled sweetness
and dignity, that I hesitated to
encounter it under any circum-
stances likely to disturb its pure
26 abe Doctor, bis Wltfe
serenity. But a clue, once grasped,
cannot be lightly set aside by a
true detective, and it would have
taken more than a woman's frown
to stop me at this point. So I
rang Dr. Zabriskie's bell.
I am seventy years old now
and am no longer daunted by the
charms of a beautiful woman, but
I confess that when I found myself
in the fine reception parlor on the
first-floor, I experienced no little
trepidation at the prospect of the
interview which awaited me.
But as soon as the fine com-
manding form of the Doctor's wife
crossed the threshold, I recovered
my senses and surveyed her with
as direct a gaze as my position
allowed. For her aspect bespoke
a degree of emotion that aston-
ished me ; and even before I spoke
I perceived her to be trembling,
an> tbe Glocft 27
though she was a woman of no little
natural dignity and self-possession.
" I seem to know your face,"
she said, advancing courteously
towards me, " but your name "-
and here she glanced at the card
she held in her hand " is totally
unfamiliar to me."
" I think you saw me some
eighteen months ago," said I.
" I am the detective who gave
testimony at the inquest which
was held over the remains of Mr.
Hasbrouck."
I had not meant to startle her,
but at this introduction of myself
I saw her naturally pale cheek
turn paler, and her fine eyes, which
had been fixed curiously upon me,
gradually sink to the floor.
" Great heaven ! " thought I,
" what is this I have stumbled
upon ! "
28 Cbe Doctor, bis Idifc
" I do not understand what busi-
ness you can have with me," she
presently remarked, with a show
of gentle indifference that did not
in the least deceive me.
" I do not wonder," I rejoined.
" The crime which took place next
door is almost forgotten by the
community, and even if it were
not, I am sure you would find it
difficult to conjecture the nature
of the question I have to put to
you."
" I am surprised," she began,
rising in her involuntary emotion
and thereby compelling me to rise
also. " How can you have any
question to ask me on this subject ?
Yet if you have," she continued,
with a rapid change of manner
that touched my heart in spite of
myself, " I shall, of course, do my
best to answer you."
an> tbc Clock 29
There are women whose sweet-
est tones and most charming
smiles only serve to awaken dis-
trust in men of my calling ; but Mrs.
Zabriskie was not of this num-
ber. Her face was beautiful, but
it was also candid in its expression,
and beneath the agitation which
palpably disturbed her, I was sure
there lurked nothing either wicked
or false. Yet I held fast by the
clue which I had grasped, as it
were, in the dark, and without
knowing whither I was tending,
much less whither I was leading
her, I proceeded to say :
" The question which I presume
to put toyou asthe next-door neigh-
bor of Mr. Hasbrouck, is this:
Who was the woman who screamed
out so loudly that the whole neigh-
borhood heard her on the night of
that gentleman's assassination ? "
30 tfbe Doctor, bis IJCltfe
The gasp she gave answered my
question in a way she little real-
ized, and, struck as I was by the
impalpable links that had led me
to the threshold of this hitherto
unsolvable mystery, I was about
to press my advantage and ask
another question, when she
quickly started forward and laid
her hand on my lips.
Astonished, I looked at her in-
quiringly, but her head was turned
aside, and her eyes, fixed upon the
door, showed the greatest anxiety.
Instantly I realized what she
feared. Her husband was enter-
ing the house, and she dreaded
lest his ears should catch a word
of our conversation.
Not knowing what was in her
mind, and unable to realize the im-
portance of the moment to her, I
yet listened to the advance of her
tbe Clock 31
blind husband with an almost
painful interest. Would he enter
the room where we were, or would
he pass immediately to his office
in the rear ? She seemed to won-
der too, and almost held her breath
as he neared the door, paused, and
stood in the open doorway, with
his ear turned towards us.
As for myself, I remained per-
fectly still, gazing at his face in
mingled surprise and apprehen-
sion. For besides its beauty,
which was of a marked order, as I
have already observed, it had a
touching expression which irre-
sistibly aroused both pity and
interest in the spectator. This
may have been the result of his
affliction, or it may have sprung
from some deeper cause ; but,
whatever its source, this look in
his face produced a strong impres-
32 Gbe Doctor, bis THflife
sion upon me and interested me
at once in his personality. Would
he enter ? Or would he pass on ?
Her look of silent appeal showed
me in which direction her wishes
lay, but while I answered her
glance by complete silence, I was
conscious in some indistinct way
that the business I had undertaken
would be better furthered by his
entrance.
The blind have been often said
to possess a sixth sense in place of
the one they have lost. Though
I am sure we made no noise, I
soon perceived that he was aware
of our presence. Stepping hastily
forward he said, in the high and
vibrating tone of restrained pas-
sion :
" Helen, are you here ? "
For a moment I thought she
did not mean to answer, but
an& tbe Clock 33
knowing doubtless from experi-
ence the impossibility of deceiving
him, she answered with a cheerful
assent, dropping her hand as she
did so from before my lips.
He heard the slight rustle which
accompanied the movement, and
a look I found it hard to compre-
hend flashed over his features,
altering his expression so com-
pletely that he seemed another
man.
"You have some one with you,"
he declared, advancing another step
but with none of the uncertainty
which usually accompanies the
movements of the blind. " Some
dear friend," he went on, with an
almost sarcastic emphasis and a
forced smile that had little of
gaiety in it.
The agitated and distressed
blush which answered him could
34 Cbe Doctor, bis Wife
have but one interpretation. He
suspected that her hand had been
clasped in mine, and she perceived
his thought and knew that I per-
ceived it also.
Drawing herself up, she moved
towards him, saying in a sweet
womanly tone that to me spoke
volumes :
" It is no friend, Constant, not
even an acquaintance. The per-
son whom I now present to you is
an agent from the police. He is
here upon a trivial errand which
will be soon finished, when I will
join you in your office."
I knew she was but taking a
choice between two evils. That
she would have saved her husband
the knowledge of a detective's
presence in the house, if her self-
respect would have allowed it, but
neither she nor I anticipated the
an> tbe Clock 35
effect which this presentation pro-
duced upon him.
"A police officer," he repeated,
staring with his sightless eyes, as
if, in his eagerness to see, he half
hoped his lost sense would return.
" He can have no trivial errand
here ; he has been sent by God
Himself to
" Let me speak for you," hastily
interposed his wife, springing to
his side and clasping his arm with
a fervor that was equally expres-
sive of appeal and command.
Then turning to me, she explained:
" Since Mr. Hasbrouck's unac-
countable death, my husband has
been laboring under an hallucina-
tion which I have only to mention
for you to recognize its perfect
absurdity. He thinks oh ! do not
look like that, Constant ; you
know it is an hallucination which
3 6 Ube Doctor, bis IKflife
must vanish the moment we drag
it into broad daylight that he
he, the best man in all the world,
was himself the assailant of Mr.
Hasbrouck."
Good God !
" I say nothing of the impossi-
bility of this being so," she went
on in a fever of expostulation.
" He is blind, and could not have
delivered such a shot even if he
had desired to ; besides, he had
no weapon. But the inconsistency
of the thing speaks for itself, and
should assure him that his mind
is unbalanced and that he is merely
suffering from a shock that was
greater than we realized. He is a
physician and has had many such
instances in his own practice.
Why, he was very much attached
to Mr. Hasbrouck ! They were
the best of friends, and though he
anfc tbe Glocft 37
insists that he killed him, he can-
not give any reason for the deed."
At these words the Doctor's face
grew stern, and he spoke like an
automaton repeating some fearful
lesson.
" I killed him. I went to his
room and deliberately shot him.
I had nothing against him, and
my remorse is extreme. Arrest
me, and let me pay the penalty of
my crime. It is the only way in
which I can obtain peace."
Shocked beyond all power of
self-control by this repetition of
what she evidently considered the
unhappy ravings of a madman, she
let go his arm and turned upon
me in frenzy.
" Convince him ! " she cried.
" Convince him by your questions
that he never could have done this
fearful thing."
3 8 Gbe 2>octor, bis TKIlife
I was laboring under great ex-
citement myself, for I felt my
youth against me in a matter of
such tragic consequence. Be-
sides, I agreed with her that he
was in a distempered state of
mind, and I hardly knew how to
deal with one so fixed in his hal-
lucination and with so much intel-
ligence to support it. But the
emergency was great, for he was
holding out his wrists in the evi-
dent expectation of my taking him
into instant custody ; and the sight
was killing his wife, who had sunk
on the floor between us, in terror
and anguish.
" You say you killed Mr. Has-
brouck," I began. " Where did
you get your pistol, and what did
you do with it after you left his
house?"
" My husband had no pistol ;
an& tbe Gloch 39
never had any pistol," put in Mrs.
Zabriskie, with vehement asser-
tion. " If I had seen him with
such a weapon "
" I threw it away. When I
left the house, I cast it as far from
me as possible, for I was frightened
at what I had done, horribly
frightened."
" No pistol was ever found," I
answered, with a smile, forgetting
for the moment that he could not
see. " If such an instrument had
been found in the street after a
murder of such consequence it cer-
tainly would have been brought to
the police."
" You forget that a good pistol
is valuable property," he went on
stolidly. " Some one came along
before the general alarm was
given ; and seeing such a treasure
lying on the sidewalk, picked it up
40 ttbe 2>octor, bte "Mite
and carried it off. Not being an
honest man, he preferred to keep
it to drawing the attention of the
police upon himself."
" Hum, perhaps," said I; "but
where did you get it. Surely you
can tell where you procured such
a weapon, if, as your wife inti-
mates, you did not own one."
" I bought it that self-same night
of a friend ; a friend whom I will
not name, since he resides no
longer in this country. I
He paused ; intense passion was
in his face ; he turned towards his
.wife, and a low cry escaped him,
which made her look up in fear.
" I do not wish to go into any
particulars," said he. " God for-
sook me and I committed a hor-
rible crime. When I am punished,
perhaps peace will return to me
and happiness to her. I would
the Clock 41
not wish her to suffer too long or
too bitterly for my sin."
" Constant ! " What love was
in the cry ! and what despair ! It
seemed to move him and turn his
thoughts for a moment into a
different channel.
" Poor child ! " he murmured,
stretching out his hands by an ir-
resistible impulse towards her.
But the change was but momen-
tary, and he was soon again the
stern and determined self-accuser.
" Are you going to take me before
a magistrate ? " he asked. "If so,
I have a few duties to perform
which you are welcome to wit-
ness."
" I have no warrant," I said ;
" besides, I am scarcely the one to
take such a responsibility upon
myself. If, however, you persist
in your declaration, I will com-
42 Cbe Doctor, bis
municate with my superiors, who
will take such action as they think
best."
"That will be still more satis-
factory to me," said he ; " for
though I have many times con-
templated giving myself up to the
authorities, I have still much to
do before I can leave my home
and practice without injury to
others. Good-day ; when you
want me, you will find me here."
He was gone, and the poor
young wife was left crouching on
the floor alone. Pitying her shame
and terror, I ventured to remark
that it was not an uncommon
thing for a man to confess to a
crime he had never committed,
and assured her that the matter
would be inquired into very care-
fully before any attempt was made
upon his liberty.
an& tbe Glocfc 43
She thanked me, and, slowly
rising, tried to regain her equa-
nimity ; but the manner as well as
the matter of her husband's self-
condemnation was too overwhelm-
ing in its nature for her to recover
readily from her emotions.
" I have long dreaded this," she
acknowledged. " For months I
have foreseen that he would make
some rash communication or in-
sane avowal. If I had dared, I
would have consulted some physi-
cian about this hallucination of
his ; but he was so sane on other
points that I hesitated to give my
dreadful secret to the world. I
kept hoping that time and his
daily pursuits would have their
effect and restore him to himself.
But his illusion grows, and now I
fear that nothing will ever con-
vince him that he did not commit
44 be Doctor, bis TKHife
the deed of which he accuses him-
self. If he were not blind I would
have more hope, but the blind
have so much time for brooding."
" I think he had better be in-
dulged in his fancies for the pres-
ent," I ventured. " If he is laboring
under an illusion it might be dan-
gerous to cross him."
" If? " she echoed in an inde-
scribable tone of amazement and
dread. " Can you for a moment
harbor the idea that he has spoken
the truth?"
" Madam," I returned, with
something of the cynicism of my
later years, " what caused you to
give such an unearthly scream
just before this murder was made
known to the neighborhood ? "
She stared, paled, and finally
began to tremble, not, as I now
believe, at the insinuation latent
an& tbe Clock 45
in my words, but at the doubts
which my question aroused in her
own breast.
" Did I ? " she asked ; then with
a great burst of candor, which
seemed inseparable from her na-
ture, she continued : " Why do I
try to mislead you or deceive
myself? I did give a shriek just
before the alarm was raised next
door ; but it was not from any
knowledge I had of a crime having
been committed, but because I
unexpectedly saw before me my
husband whom I supposed to be
on his way to Poughkeepsie. He
was looking very pale and strange,
and for a moment I thought I was
beholding his ghost. But he soon
explained his appearance by saying
that he had fallen from the train
and had been only saved by a
miracle from being dismembered ;
4 6 abe Doctor, bis "Qdtfe
and I was just bemoaning his "mis-
hap and trying to calm him and
myself, when that terrible shout
was heard next door of ' Murder!
murder!' Coming so soon after
the shock he had himself experi-
enced, it quite unnerved him, and
I think we can date his mental
disturbance from that moment.
For he began almost immediately
to take a morbid interest in the
affair next door, though it was
weeks, if not months, before he let
a word fall of the nature of those
you have just heard. Indeed it
was not till I repeated to him
some of the expressions he was
continually letting fall in his sleep,
that he commenced to accuse
himself of crime and talk of retri-
bution."
" You say that your husband
frightened you on that night by
an& tbc Clock 47
appearing suddenly at the door
when you thought him on his way
to Poughkeepsie. Is Dr. Zabriskie
in the habit of thus going and com-
ing alone at an hour so late as this
must have been?"
"You forget that to the blind,
night is less full of perils than the
day. Often and often has my hus-
band found his way to his patients'
houses alone after midnight ; but
on this especial evening he had
Harry with him. Harry was his
driver, and always accompanied
him when he went any distance."
" Well, then," said I, " all we
have to do is to summon Harry
and hear what he has to say con-
cerning this affair. He surely will
know whether or not his master
went into the house next door."
" Harry has left us," she said.
" Dr. Zabriskie has another driver
43 Sbe Doctor, bis TKIUfe
now. Besides (I have nothing to
conceal from you) Harry was not
with him when he returned to the
house that evening, or the Doc-
tor would not have been without
his portmanteau till the next day.
Something I have never known
what caused them to separate,
and that is why I have no answer to
give the Doctor when he accuses
himself of committing a deed on
that night which is wholly out of
keeping with every other act of
his life."
"And have you never questioned
Harry why they separated and
why he allowed his master to come
home alone after the shock he had
received at the station ? "
" I did not know there was any
reason for doing so till long after
he left us."
" And when did he leave ? "
anD tbe Clock 49
" That I do not remember. A
few weeks or possibly a few days
after that dreadful night."
"And where is he now?"
" Ah, that I have not the least
means of knowing. But," she
suddenly cried, " what do you
want of Harry? If he did not
follow Dr. Zabriskie to his own
door, he could tell us nothing that
would convince my husband that
he is laboring under an illusion."
" But he might tell us something
which would convince us that Dr.
Zabriskie was not himself after the
accident, that he "
" Hush ! " came from her lips in
imperious tones. " I will not be-
lieve that he shot Mr. Hasbrouck
even if you prove him to have been
insane at the time. How could
he? My husband is blind. It
would take a man of very keen
4
50 Cbe 2>octor, bis "Mite
sight to force himself into a house
that was closed for the night, and
kill a man in the dark at one shot."
" Rather," cried a voice from the
doorway, " it is only a blind man
who could do this. Those who
trust to eyesight must be able to
catch some glimpse of the mark
they aim at, and this room, as I
have been told, was without a
glimmer of light. But the blind
trust to sound, and as Mr. Has-
brouck spoke "
" Oh ! " burst from the horrified
wife, " is there no one to stop him
when he speaks like that ? "
anD tbe Clock 51
II.
WH EN I related to my superi-
ors the details of the fore-
going interview, two of them
coincided with the wife in thinking
that Dr. Zabriskie was in an irre-
sponsible condition of mind which
made any statement of his ques-
tionable. But the third seemed
disposed to argue the matter, and,
casting me an inquiring look,
seemed to ask what my opinion
was on the subject. Answering
him as if he had spoken, I gave
my conclusion as follows : That
whether insane or not, Dr. Zabris-
kie had fired the shot which ter-
minated Mr. Hasbrouck's life.
52 Cbe Doctor, bis THIUfe
It was the Inspector's own idea,
but it was not shared in by the
others, one of whom had known
the Doctor for years. Accordingly
they compromised by postponing
all opinion till they had themselves
interrogated the Doctor, and I was
detailed to bring him before them
the next afternoon.
He came without reluctance, his
wife accompanying him. In the
short time which elapsed between
their leaving Lafayette Place and
entering Headquarters, I em-
braced the opportunity of observ-
ing them, and I found the study
equally exciting and interesting.
His face was calm but hopeless,
and his eye, which should have
shown a wild glimmer if there was
truth in his wife's hypothesis, was
dark and unfathomable, but nei-
ther frenzied nor uncertain. He
and tbe Ctocfc 53
spake but once and listened to
nothing, though now and then his
wife moved as if to attract his
attention, and once even stole her
hand toward his, in the tender
hope that he would feel its ap-
proach and accept her sympathy.
But he was deaf as well as blind ;
and sat wrapped up in thoughts
which she, I know, would have
given worlds to penetrate.
Her countenance was not with-
out its mystery also. She showed
in every lineament passionate con-
cern and misery, and a deep ten-
derness from which the element of
fear was not absent. But she, as
well as he, betrayed that some
misunderstanding, deeper than any
I had previously suspected, drew
its intangible veil between them
and made the near proximity in
which they sat, at once a heart-
54 Gbe Doctor, bis IXflife
piercing delight and an unspeak-
able pain. What was this misun-
derstanding ? and what was the
character of the fear that modified
her every look of love in his di-
rection? Her perfect indifference
to my presence proved that it was
not connected with the position
in which he had put himself tow-
ards the police by his voluntary
confession of crime, nor could I
thus interpret the expression of
frantic question which now and
then contracted her features, as
she raised her eyes towards his
sightless orbs, and strove to read,
in his firm-set lips, the meaning of
those assertions she could only
ascribe to a loss of reason.
The stopping of the carriage
seemed to awaken both from
thoughts that separated rather
than united them. He turned his
and tbc Clocfc 55
face in her direction, and she,
stretching forth her hand, pre-
pared to lead him from the car-
riage, without any of that display
of timidity which had been pre-
viously evident in her manner.
As his guide she seemed to fear
nothing ; as his lover, everything.
" There is another and a deeper
tragedy underlying the outward
and obvious one," was my inward
conclusion, as I followed them into
the presence of the gentlemen
awaiting them.
Dr. Zabriskie's appearance was
a shock to those who knew him ;
so was his manner, which was calm,
straightforward, and quietly de-
termined.
" I shot Mr. Hasbrouck," was his
steady affirmation, given without
any show of frenzy or desperation.
56 abe Doctor, bis
" If you ask me why I did it, I
cannot answer; if you ask me how,
I am ready to state all that I know
concerning the matter."
" But, Dr. Zabriskie," interposed
his friend, " the why is the most
important thing for us to consider
just now. If you really desire to
convince us that you committed
the dreadful crime of killing a to-
tally inoffensive man, you should
give us some reason for an act so
opposed to all your instincts and
general conduct."
But the Doctor continued un-
moved :
" I had no reason for murdering
Mr. Hasbro uck. A hundred ques-
tions can elicit no other reply ; you
had better keep to the how."
A deep-drawn breath from the
wife answered the looks of the
three gentlemen to whom this sug-
and tbe Glocfc 57
gestion was offered. " You see,"
that breath seemed to protest,
" that he is not in his right mind."
I began to waver in my own
opinion, and yet the intuition
which has served me in cases as
seemingly impenetrable as this,
bade me beware of following the
general judgment.
" Ask him to inform you how he
got into the house," I whispered
to Inspector D , who sat near-
est me.
Immediately the Inspector put
the question I had suggested :
" By what means did you enter
Mr. Hasbrouck's house at so late
an hour as this murder occurred?"
The blind doctor's head fell
forward on his breast, and he hesi-
tated for the first and only time.
" You will not believe me," said
he; " but the door was ajar when
58 Ebe Doctor, bis
I came to it. Such things make
crime easy ; it is the only excuse
I have to offer for this dreadful
deed."
The front door of a respectable
citizen's house ajar at half-past
eleven at night. It was a state-
ment that fixed in all minds the
conviction of the speaker's irre-
sponsibility. Mrs. Zabriskie's brow
cleared, and her beauty became
for a moment dazzling as she held
out her hands in irrepressible relief
towards those who were interrogat-
ing her husband. I alone kept my
impassibility. A possible explana-
tion of this crime had flashed like
lightning across my mind ; an ex-
planation from which I inwardly
recoiled, even while I was forced
to consider it.
" Dr. Zabriskie," remarked the
Inspector who was most friendly
and tbc Clock 59
to him, " such old servants as those
kept by Mr. Hasbrouck do not
leave the front door ajar at twelve
o'clock at night."
" Yet ajar it was," repeated the
blind doctor, with quiet emphasis;
"and finding it so, I went in.
When I came out again, I closed
it. Do you wish me to swear to
what I say ? If so, I am ready."
What could we reply ? To see
this splendid-looking man,hallowed
by an affliction so great that in it-
self it called forth the compassion
of the most indifferent, accusing
himself of a cold-blooded crime, in
tones that sounded dispassionate
because of the will that forced
their utterance, was too painful in
itself for us to indulge in any un-
necessary words. Compassion took
the place of curiosity, and each
and all of us turned involuntary
60 ttbe Doctor, bis "Mite
looks of pity upon the young wife
pressing so eagerly to his side.
" For a blind man," ventured
one, " the assault was both deft
and certain. Are you accustomed
to Mr. Hasbrouck's house, that
you found your way with so little
difficulty to his bedroom ? "
" I am accustomed " he be-
gan.
But here his wife broke in with
irrepressible passion :
" He is not accustomed to that
house. He has never been beyond
the first-floor. Why, why do you
question him ? Do you not
see "
His hand was on her lips.
" Hush! "he commanded. "You
know my skill in moving about a
house ; how I sometimes deceive
those who do not know me into
believing that I can see, by the
and tbe Clock 61
readiness with which I avoid ob-
stacles and find my way even in
strange and untried scenes. Do
not try to make them think I am
not in my right mind, or you will
drive me into the very condition
you deprecate."
His face, rigid, cold, and set,
looked like that of a mask. Hers,
drawn with horror and filled with
question that was fast taking the
form of doubt, bespoke an awful
tragedy from which more that one
of us recoiled.
" Can you shoot a man dead
without seeing him ? " asked the
Superintendent, with painful ef-
fort.
"Give me a pistol and I will
show you," was the quick reply,
A low cry came from the wife.
In a drawer near to every one of
us there lay a pistol, but no one
62 Cbe 2>octor, bis
moved to take it out. There was
a look in the Doctor's eye which
made us fear to trust him with a
pistol just then.
" We will accept your assurance
that you possess a skill beyond that
of most men," returned the Su-
perintendent. And beckoning me
forward, he whispered : " This is a
case for the doctors and not for
the police. Remove him quietly,
and notify Dr. Southyard of what
I say."
But Dr. Zabriskie, who seemed
to have an almost supernatural
acuteness of hearing, gave a vio-
lent start at this and spoke up for
the first time with real passion in
his voice :
" No, no, I pray you. I can
bear anything but that. Remem-
ber, gentlemen, that I am blind ;
that I cannot see who is about me ;
anD tbe Clock 63
that my life would be a torture if
I felt myself surrounded by spies
watching to catch some evidence
of madness in me. Rather convic-
tion at once, death, dishonor, and
obloquy. These I have incurred.
These I have brought upon myself
by crime, but not this worse fate
oh ! not this worse fate."
His passion was so intense and
yet so confined within the bounds
of decorum, that we felt strangely
impressed by it. Only the wife
stood transfixed, with the dread
growing in her heart, till her white,
waxen visage seemed even more
terrible to contemplate than his
passion-distorted one.
" It is not strange that my wife
thinks me demented," the Doctor
continued, as if afraid of the si-
lence that answered him. " But
it is your business to discriminate,
64 Cbe Doctor, bis Wife
and you should know a sane man
when you see him."
Inspector D no longer hesi-
tated.
" Very well," said he, " give us
the least proof that your assertions
are true, and we will lay your case
before the prosecuting attorney."
" Proof ? Is not a man's
word "
" No man's confession is worth
much without some evidence to
support it. In your case there is
none. You cannot even produce
the pistol with which you assert
yourself to have committed the
deed."
" True, true. I was frightened
by what I had done, and the in-
stinct of self-preservation led me
to rid myself of the weapon in any
way I could. But some one found
this pistol ; some one picked it up
ant) tbe Clock 65
from the sidewalk of Lafayette
Place on that fatal night. Adver-
tise for it. Offer a reward. I
will give you the money." Sud-
denly he appeared to realize how
all this sounded. "Alas!" cried
he, " I know the story seems im-
probable ; all I say seems improb-
able ; but it is not the probable
things that happen in this life, but
the improbable, as you should
know, who every day dig deep
into the heart of human affairs."
Were these the ravings of in-
sanity ? I began to understand
the wife's terror.
" I bought the pistol," he went
on, " of alas ! I cannot tell you
his name. Everything is against
me. I cannot adduce one proof ;
yet she, even she, is beginning to
fear that my story is true. I know
it by her silence, a silence that
66 Cbc 2>octor, bis unite
yawns between us like a deep and
unfathomable gulf."
But at these words her voice
rang out with passionate vehe-
mence.
" No, no, it is false ! I will
never believe that your hands
have been plunged in blood. You
are my own pure-hearted Constant,
cold, perhaps, and stern, but with
no guilt upon your conscience, save
in your own wild imagination."
" Helen, you are no friend to
me," he declared, pushing her
gently aside. " Believe me inno-
cent, but say nothing to lead these
others to doubt my word."
And she said no more, but her
looks spoke volumes.
The result was that he was not
detained, though he prayed for
instant commitment. He seemed
to dread his own home, and the
anD tbe Clock 67
surveillance to which he instinc-
tively knew he would henceforth
be subjected. To see him shrink
from his wife's hand as she strove
to lead him from the room was
sufficiently painful ; but the feel-
ing thus aroused was nothing to
that with which we observed the
keen and agonized expectancy of
his look as he turned and listened
for the steps of the officer who
followed him.
" I shall never again know
whether or not I am alone," was
his final observation as he left our
presence.
I said nothing to my superiors
of the thoughts I had had while
listening to the above interroga-
tories. A theory had presented
itself to my mind which explained
in some measure the mysteries of
68 Cbe octor, bis "CCltfe
the Doctor's conduct, but I wished
for time and opportunity to test
its reasonableness before submit-
ting it to their higher judgment.
And these seemed likely to be
given me, for the Inspectors con-
tinued divided in their opinion of
the blind physician's guilt, and
the District-Attorney, when told
of the affair, pooh-poohed it with-
out mercy, and declined to stir in
the matter unless some tangible
evidence were forthcoming to sub-
stantiate the poor Doctor's self-
accusations.
"If guilty, why does he shrink
from giving his motives," said he,
" and if so anxious to go to the
gallows, why does he suppress the
very facts calculated to send him
there? He is as mad as a March
hare, and it is to an asylum he
should go and not to a jail."
anD tbe Clocfc 6g
In this conclusion I failed to
agree with him, and as time wore
on my suspicions took shape and
finally ended in a fixed conviction.
Dr. Zabriskie had committed the
crime he avowed, but let me
proceed a little further with my
story before I reveal what lies be-
yond that " but."
Notwithstanding Dr. Zabriskie's
almost frenzied appeal for soli-
tude, a man had been placed in
surveillance over him in the shape
of a young doctor skilled in dis-
eases of the brain. This man
communicated more or less with
the police, and one morning I re-
ceived from him the following ex-
tracts from the diary he had been
ordered to keep.
"The Doctor is settling into a
deep melancholy from which he
Doctor, bis TKfltfe
tries to rise at times, but with only
indifferent success. Yesterday he
rode around to all his patients for
the purpose of withdrawing his
services on the plea of illness.
But he still keeps his office open,
and to-day I had the opportunity
of witnessing his reception and
treatment of the many sufferers
who came to him for aid. I think
he was conscious of my presence,
though an attempt had been made
to conceal it. For the listening
look never left his face from the
moment he entered the room, and
once he rose and passed quickly
from wall to wall, groping with
outstretched hands into every
nook and corner, and barely
escaping contact with the curtain
behind which I was hidden. But
if he suspected my presence, he
showed no displeasure at it, wish-
anO tbc ClocR 71
ing perhaps for a witness to his
skill in the treatment of disease.
" And truly I never beheld a
finer manifestation of practical
insight in cases of a more or less
baffling nature than I beheld in
him to-day. He is certainly a most
wonderful physician, and I feel
bound to record that his mind is as
clear for business as if no shadow
had fallen upon it.
" Dr. Zabriskie loves his wife, but
in a way that tortures both him-
self and her. If she is gone from
the house he is wretched, and yet
when she returns he often forbears
to speak to her, or if he does speak,
it is with a constraint that hurts
her more than his silence. I was
present when she came in to-day.
Her step, which had been eager
on the stairway, flagged as she
72 Gbe Doctor, bis "GCUfe
approached the room, and he
naturally noted the change and
gave his own interpretation to it.
His face, which had been very
pale, flushed suddenly, and a
nervous trembling seized him
which he sought in vain to hide.
But by the time her tall and
beautiful figure stood in the door-
way he was his usual self again in
all but the expression of his eyes,
which stared straight before him
in an agony of longing only to be
observed in those who have once
seen.
" 'Where have you been, Helen ?'
he asked, as, contrary to his wont,
he moved to meet her.
" ' To my mother's, to Arnold
& Constable's, and to the hospi-
tal, as you requested,' was her
quick answer, made without falter-
ing or embarrassment.
anO tbe Clocfc 73
" He stepped still nearer and
took her hand, and as he did so
my physician's eye noted how his
finger lay over her pulse in seem-
ing unconsciousness.
" ' Nowhere else ? ' he queried.
" She smiled the saddest kind of
smile and shook her head ; then,
remembering that he could not
see this movement, she cried in a
wistful tone :
" ' Nowhere else, Constant ; I
was too anxious to get back.'
" I expected him to drop her
hand at this, but he did not ; and
his finger still rested on her pulse.
" ' And whom did you see while
you were gone?' he continued.
" She told him, naming over
several names.
" ' You must have enjoyed your-
self,' was his cold comment, as he
let go her hand and turned away.
74 Gbe Doctor, bis llflife
But his manner showed relief, and
I could not but sympathize with
the pitiable situation of a man
who found himself forced to means
like these for probing the heart of
his young wife.
" Yet when I turned towards her
I realized that her position was but
little happier than his. Tears are
no strangers to her eyes, but those
that welled up at this moment
seemed to possess a bitterness that
promised but little peace for her
future. Yet she quickly dried
them and busied herself with min-
istrations for his comfort.
" If I am any judge of woman,
Helen Zabriskie is superior to
most of her sex. That her hus-
band mistrusts her is evident, but
whether this is the result of the
stand she has taken in his regard,
anO tbe Clocfe 75
or only a manifestation of demen-
tia, I have as. yet been unable to
determine. I dread to leave them
alone together, and yet when I
presume to suggest that she should
be on her guard in her interviews
with him, she smiles very placidly
and tells me that nothing would
give her greater joy than to see
him lift his hand against her, for
that would argue that he is not
accountable for his deeds or for
his assertions.
" Yet it would be a grief to see
her injured by this passionate and
unhappy man.
" You have said that you wanted
all details I could give ; so I feel
bound to say, that Dr. Zabriskie
tries to be considerate of his wife,
though he oftens fails in the at-
tempt. When she offers herself
76 be Doctor, bis Wife
as his guide, or assists him with
his mail, or performs any of the
many acts of kindness by which she
continually manifests her sense of
his affliction, he thanks her with
courtesy and often with kindness,
yet I know she would willingly
exchange all his set phrases for
one fond embrace or impulsive
smile of affection. That he is not
in the full possession of his facul-
ties would be too much to say,
and yet upon what other hy-
pothesis can we account for the
inconsistencies of his conduct.
" I have before me two visions
of mental suffering. At noon I
passed the office door, and looking
within, saw the figure of Dr. Za-
briskie seated in his great chair,
lost in thought or deep in those
memories which make an abyss in
an& tbc Clock 77
one's consciousness. His hands,
which were clenched, rested upon
the arms of his chair, and in one
of them I detected a woman's
glove, which I had no difficulty in
recognizing as one of the pair worn
by his wife this morning. He
held it as a tiger might hold his
prey or a miser his gold, but his
set features and sightless eyes be-
trayed that a conflict of emotions
was waging within him, among
which tenderness had but little
share.
" Though alive, as he usually is,
to every sound, he was too ab-
sorbed at this moment to notice
my presence though I had taken
no pains to approach quietly. I
therefore stood for a full minute
watching him, till an irresistible
sense of the shame of thus spying
upon a blind man in his moments
78 Gbe Doctor, bis Witc
of secret anguish seized upon me
and I turned away. But not be-
fore I saw his features relax in a
storm of passionate feeling, as he
rained kisses after kisses on the
senseless kid he had so long held
in his motionless grasp. Yet when
an hour later he entered the
dining-room on his wife's arm,
there was nothing in his manner
to show that he had in any way
changed in his attitude towards
her.
" The other picture was more
tragic still. I have no business
with Mrs. Zabriskie's affairs ; but
as I passed upstairs to my room
an hour ago, I caught a fleeting
vision of her tall form, with the
arms thrown up over her head in
a paroxysm of feeling which made
her as oblivious to my presence as
anfc tbc Ctocfc 79
her husband had been several
hours before. Were the words
that escaped her lips ' Thank
God we have no children ! ' or
was this exclamation suggested to
me by the passion and unre-
strained impulse of her action?"
Side by side with these lines, I,
Ebenezer Gryce, placed the fol-
lowing extracts from my own
diary :
" Watched the Zabriskie mansion
for five hours this morning, from
the second story window of an ad-
joining hotel. Saw the Doctor
when he drove away on his round
of visits, and saw him when he
returned. A colored man accom-
panied him.
" To-day I followed Mrs. Zabris-
kie. I had a motive for this, the
8o cbe Doctor, bis
nature of which I think it wisest
not to divulge. She went first to
a house in Washington Place
where I am told her mother lives.
Here she stayed some time, after
which she drove down to Canal
Street, where she did some shop-
ping, and later stopped at the
hospital, into which I took the lib-
erty of following her. She seemed
to know many there, and passed
from cot to cot with a smile in
which I alone discerned the sad-
ness of a broken heart. When
she left, I left also, without having
learned anything beyond the fact
that Mrs. Zabriskie is one who
does her duty in sorrow as in hap-
piness. A rare and trustworthy
woman I should say, and yet her
husband does not trust her. Why?
" I have spent this day in accu-
anD tbe Clock 81
mulating details in regard to Dr.
and Mrs. Zabriskie's life previous
to the death of Mr. Hasbrouck.
I learned from sources it would be
unwise to quote just here, that
Mrs. Zabriskie had not lacked
enemies ready to charge her with
coquetry ; that while she had
never sacrificed her dignity in
public, more than one person had
been heard to declare, that Dr.
Zabriskie was fortunate^ in being
blind, since the sight of his wife's
beauty would have but poorly
compensated him for the pain he
would have suffered in seeing how
that beauty was admired.
" That all gossip is more or less
tinged with exaggeration I have
no doubt, yet when a name is
mentioned in connection with
such stories, there is usually some
truth at the bottom of them.
82 Gbe Boctor, bis TlOife
And a name is mentioned in this
case, though I do not think it
worth my while to repeat it here ;
and loth as I am to recognize the
fact, it is a name that carries with
it doubts that might easily ac-
count for the husband's jealousy.
True, I have found no one who
dares to hint that she still con-
tinues to attract attention or to
bestow smiles in any direction
save where they legally belong.
For since a certain memorable
night which we all know, neither
Dr. Zabriskie nor his wife have
been seen save in their own do-
mestic circle, and it is not into
such scenes that this serpent, of
which I have spoken, ever in-
trudes, nor is it in places of sor-
row or suffering that his smile
shines, or his fascinations flourish.
"And so one portion of my
and tbe Clocfc 83
theory is proved to be sound. Dr.
Zabriskie is jealous of his wife :
whether with good cause or bad I
am not prepared to decide ; for
her present attitude, clouded as it
is by the tragedy in which she and
her husband are both involved,
must differ very much from that
which she held when her life was
unshadowed by doubt, and her
admirers could be counted by the
score.
" I have just found out where
Harry is. As he is in service
some miles up the river, I shall
have to be absent from my post
for several hours, but I consider
the game well worth the candle.
" Light at last. I have seen
Harry, and, by means known only
to the police, have succeeded in
84 Cbe Doctor, bis "Wflife
making him talk. His story is
substantially this : That on the
night so often mentioned, he
packed his master's portmanteau
at eight o'clock and at ten called
a carriage and rode with the
Doctor to the Twenty-ninth Street
station. He was told to buy
tickets for Poughkeepsie where
his master had been called in con-
sultation, and having done this,
hurried back to join his master on
the platform. They had walked
together as far as the cars, and Dr.
Zabriskie was just stepping on to
the train when a man pushed him-
self hurriedly between them and
whispered something into his
master's ear, which caused him to
fall back and lose his footing. Dr.
Zabriskie's body slid half under
the car, but he was withdrawn be-
fore any harm was done, though
anJ> tbc Ctocfc 85
the cars gave a lurch at that mo-
ment which must have frightened
him exceedingly, for his face was
white when he rose to his feet,
and when Harry offered to assist
him again on to the train, he re-
fused to go and said he would
return home and not attempt to
ride to Poughkeepsie that night.
" The gentleman, whom Harry
now saw to be Mr. Stanton, an
intimate friend of Dr. Zabriskie,
smiled very queerly at this, and
taking the Doctor's arm led him
away to a carriage. Harry natu-
rally followed them, but the Doctor
hearing his steps, turned and bade
him, in a very peremptory tone, to
take the omnibus home, and then,
as if on second thought, told him
to go to Poughkeepsie in his stead
and explain to the people there
that he was too shaken up by his
86 Cbe Doctor, bis TKUffe
mis-step to do his duty, and that
he would be with them next morn-
ing. This seemed strange to Harry,
but he had no reasons for disobey-
ing his master's orders, and so rode
to Poughkeepsie. But the Doctor
did not follow him the next day ;
on the contrary he telegraphed for
him to return, and when he got
back dismissed him with a month's
wages. This ended Harry's con-
nection with the Zabriskie family.
" A simple story bearing out
what the wife has already told us ;
but it furnishes a link which may
prove invaluable. Mr. Stanton,
whose first name is Theodore,
knows the real reason why Dr.
Zabriskie returned home on the
night of the seventeenth of July,
1851. Mr. Stanton, consequently,
I must see, and this shall be my
business to-morrow.
anfc tbe Clock 87
" Checkmate ! Theodore Stan-
ton is not in this country. Though
this points him out as the man
from whom Dr. Zabriskie bought
the pistol, it does not facilitate my
work, which is becoming more and
more difficult.
" Mr. Stanton's whereabouts are
not even known to his most inti-
mate friends. He sailed from this
country most unexpectedly on the
eighteenth of July a year ago,
which was the day after the murder
of Mr. Hasbrouck. It looks like a
flight, especially as he has failed
to maintain open communication
even with his relatives. Was he
the man who shot Mr. Hasbrouck?
No ; but he was the man who put
the pistol in Dr. Zabriskie's hand
that night, and, whether he did
this with purpose or not, was evi-
Cbe Doctor, bis ItGUfe
dently so alarmed at the catas-
trophe which followed that he took
the first outgoing steamer to
Europe. So far, all is clear, but
there are mysteries yet to be
solved, which will require my ut-
most tact. What if I should seek
out the gentleman with whose
name that of Mrs. Zabriskie has
been linked, and see if I can in any
way connect him with Mr. Stanton
or the events of that night ?
" Eureka ! I have discovered
that Mr. Stanton cherished a mor-
tal hatred for the gentleman above
mentioned. It was a covert feel-
ing, but no less deadly on that ac-
count ; and while it never led him
into any extravagances, it was of
force sufficient to account for many
a secret misfortune which hap-
pened to that gentleman. Now, if
and tbe Clock
I can prove he was the Mephisto-
pheles who whispered insinuations
into the ear of our blind Faust, I
may strike a fact that will lead me
out of this maze.
" But how can I approach secrets
so delicate without compromising
the woman I feel bound to re-
spect, if only for the devoted love
she manifests for her unhappy
husband !
" I shall have to appeal to Joe
Smithers. This is something which
I always hate to do,butaslongas he
will take money, and as long as he
is fertile in resources for obtaining
the truth from people I am my-
self unable to reach, so long must
I make use of his cupidity and his
genius. He is an honorable fellow
in one way, and never retails as
gossip what he acquires for our
go Gbe Doctor, bis IClife
use. How will he proceed in this
case, and by what tactics will he
gain the very delicate information
which we need ? I own that I am
curious to see.
" I shall really have to put down
at length the incidents of this
night. I always knew that Joe
Smithers was invaluable to the
police, but I really did not know
he possessed talents of so high an
order. He wrote me this morning
that he had succeeded in getting
Mr. T 's promise to spend the
evening with him, and advised me
that if I desired to be present also,
his own servant would not be at
home, and that an opener of bot-
tles would be required.
" As I was very anxious to see
Mr. T - with my own eyes, I
accepted the invitation to play the,
an& tbe Clock 91
spy upon a spy, and went at the
proper hour to Mr. Smithers's
rooms, which are in the University
Building. I found them pictu-
resque in the extreme. Piles of
books stacked here and there to the
ceiling made nooks and corners
which could be quite shut off bya
couple of old pictures that were set
into movable frames that swung
out or in at the whim or conven-
ience of the owner.
" As I liked the dark shadows
cast by these pictures, I pulled
them both out, and made such
other arrangements as appeared
likely to facilitate the purpose I
had in view, then I sat down and
waited for the two gentlemen who
were expected to come in to-
gether.
" They arrived almost immedi-
ately, whereupon I rose and played
92 Cbe Doctor, bis TKIWe
my part with all necessary dis-
cretion. While ridding Mr. T
of his overcoat, I stole a look at his
face. It is not a handsome one,
but it boasts of a gay, devil-may-
care expression which doubtless
makes it dangerous to many
women, while his manners are
especially attractive, and his voice
the richest and most persuasive
that I ever heard. I contrasted
him, almost against my will, with
Dr. Zabriskie, and decided that
with most women the former's un-
doubted fascinations of speech and
bearing would outweigh the lat-
ter's great beauty and mental en-
dowments ; but I doubted if they
would with her.
" The conversation which imme-
diately began was brilliant but
desultory, for Mr. Smithers, with
an airy lightness for which he is
anD tbe Clock 93
remarkable, introduced topic after
topic, perhaps for the purpose of
showing off Mr. T 's versatil-
ity, and perhaps for the deeper
and more sinister purpose of
shaking the kaleidoscope of talk
so thoroughly, that the real topic
which we were met to discuss
should not make an undue impres-
sion on the mind of his guest.
" Meanwhile one, two, three bot-
tles passed, and I saw Joe Smith-
ers's eye grow calmer and that of
Mr. T - more brilliant and more
uncertain. As the last bottle
showed signs of failing, Joe cast
me a meaning glance, and the real
business of the evening began.
" I shall not attempt to relate
the half-dozen failures which Joe
made in endeavoring to elicit the
facts we were in search of, without
arousing the suspicion of his vis-
94 Sbe Doctor, bis
itor. I am only going to relate
the successful attempt. They had
been talking now for some hours,
and I, who had long before been
waved from their immediate pres-
ence, was hiding my curiosity and
growing excitement behind one of
the pictures, when suddenly I
heard Joe say :
" ' He has the most remarkable
memory I ever met. He can tell
to a day when any notable event
occurred.'
" ' Pshaw ! ' answered his com-
panion, who, by the by, was
known to pride himself upon his
own memory for dates, ' I can state
where I went and what I did on
every day in the year. That may
not embrace what you call ' nota-
ble events,' but the memory re-
quired is all the more remarkable,
is it not ? '
an& tbe Clocfe 95
" ' Pooh ! ' was his friend's pro-
voking reply, ' you are bluffing,
Ben ; I will never believe that.'
" Mr. T , who had passed by
this time into that state of intoxi-
cation which makes persistence in
an assertion a duty as well as a
pleasure, threw back his head, and
as the wreaths of smoke rose in
airy spirals from his lips, reiterated
his statement, and offered to sub-
mit to any test of his vaunted pow-
ers which the other might dictate.
" ' You have a diary -' began
Joe.
" ' Which is at home,' completed
the other.
" ' Will you allow me to refer to
it to-morrow, if I am suspicious of
the accuracy of your recollec-
tions? '
" ' Undoubtedly,' returned the
other.
9 6 Gbe JDoctor, bis Mife
" ' Very well, then, I will wager
you a cool fifty, that you cannot
tell where you were between the
hours of ten and eleven on a cer-
tain night which I will name.'
" ' Done ! ' cried the other, bring-
ing out his pocket-book and laying
it on the table before him.
" Joe followed his example and
then summoned me.
" ' Write a date down here,' he
commanded, pushing a piece of
paper towards me, with a look
keen as the flash of a blade. ' Any
date, man,' he added, as I ap-
peared to hesitate in the embar-
rassment I thought natural under
the circumstances. ' Put down day,
month, and year, only don't go
too far back ; not farther than two
years.'
" Smiling with the air of a flunkey
admitted to the sports of his su-
an& tbe Clocft 97
periors, I wrote a line and laid it
before Mr. Smithers, who at once
pushed it with a careless gesture
towards his companion. You can
of course guess the date I made
use of : July 17, 1851. Mr. T ,
who had evidently looked upon
this matter as mere play, flushed
scarlet as he read these words,
and for one instant looked as if
he had rather flee our presence
than answer Joe Smithers's non-
chalant glance of inquiry.
" ' I have given my word and will
keep it,' he said at last, but with
a look in my direction that sent
me reluctantly back to my retreat.
'I don't suppose you want names,'
he went on, ' that is, if anything I
have to tell is of a delicate
nature ? '
" ' O no,' answered the other,
'only facts and places.'
7
9 8 Ube Doctor, bis TIGUfe
" ' I don't think places are neces-
sary either,' he returned. ' I will
tell you what I did and that must
serve you. I did not promise to
give number and street.'
" ' Well, well,' Joe exclaimed ;
'earn your fifty, that is all. Show
that you remember where you
were on the night of ' and with
an admirable show of indiffer-
ence he pretended to consult the
paper between them ' the seven-
teenth of July, 1851, and I shall
be satisfied.'
" ' I was at the club for one
thing,' said Mr. T ; 'then I
went to see a lady friend, where I
stayed till eleven. She wore a blue
muslin What is that ? '
" I had betrayed myself by a
quick movement which sent a glass
tumbler crashing to the floor.
Helen Zabriskie had worn a blue
anD tbe Clocfc 99
muslin on that same night. I had
noted it when I stood on the
balcony watching her and her
husband.
"' That noise ?' It was Joe who
was speaking. ' You don't know
Reuben as well as I do or you
would n't ask. It is his practice,
I am sorry to say, to accentuate
his pleasure in draining my bot-
tles, by dropping a glass at every
third one.'
" Mr. T went on.
" ' She was a married woman and
I thought she loved me ; but
and this is the greatest proof I
can offer you that I am giving
you a true account of that night
she had not had the slightest
idea of the extent of my passion,
and only consented to see me at
all because she thought, poorthing,
that a word from her would set
ioo abe 2>octor, bis Wife
me straight, and rid her of atten-
tions that were fast becoming ob-
noxious. A sorry figure for a
fellow to cut who has not been
without his triumphs; but you
caught me on the most detestable
date in my calendar, and
"There is where he stopped be-
ing interesting, so I will not waste
time by quoting further. And
now what reply shall I make when
Joe Smithers asks me double his
usual price, as he will be sure to
do, next time ? Has he not earned
an advance ? I really think so.
" I have spent the whole day in
weaving together the facts I have
gleaned, and the suspicions I have
formed, into a consecutive whole
likely to present my theory in a
favorable light to my superiors.
But just as 1 thought myself in
tbe Clock
shape to meet their inquiries, I re-
ceived an immediate summons
into their presence, where I was
given a duty to perform of so ex-
traordinary and unexpected a na-
ture, that it effectually drove from
my mind all my own plans for
the elucidation of the Zabriskie
mystery.
" This was nothing more nor less
than to take charge of a party of
people who were going to the
Jersey heights for the purpose of
testing Dr. Zabriskie's skill with a
pistol."
io2 abe Doctor, bis "Cdife
III.
THE cause of this sudden move
was soon explained to me.
Mrs. Zabriskie, anxious to have an
end put to the present condition
of affairs, had begged for a more
rigid examination into her hus-
band's state. This being accorded,
a strict and impartial inquiry had
taken place, with a result not un-
like that which followed the first
one. Three out of his four inter-
rogators judged him insane, and
could not be moved from their
opinion though opposed by the
verdict of the young expert who
had been living in the house with
him. Dr. Zabriskie seemed to
read their thoughts, and, showing
anO tbc Clocfc 103
extreme agitation, begged as be-
fore for an opportunity to prove
his sanity by showing his skill in
shooting. This time a disposition
was evinced to grant his request,
which Mrs. Zabriskie no sooner
perceived, than she added her
supplications to his that the
question might be thus settled.
A pistol was accordingly
brought ; but at sight of it her
courage failed, and she changed
her prayer to an entreaty that the
experiment should be postponed
till the next day, and should then
take place in the woods away from
the sight and hearing of needless
spectators.
Though it would have been
much wiser to have ended the
matter there and then, the Super-
intendent was prevailed upon to
listen to her entreaties, and thus
104 Cbe Doctor, bis "Mite
it was that I came to be a spectator,
if not a participator, in the final
scene of this most sombre drama.
There are some events which
impress the human mind so deeply
that their memory mingles with
all after-experiences. Though I
have made it a rule to forget as
soon as possible the tragic epi-
sodes into which I am constantly
plunged, there is one scene in my
life which will not depart at my
will ; and that is the sight which
met my eyes from the bow of the
small boat in which Dr. Zabriskie
and his wife were rowed over to
Jersey on that memorable after-
noon.
Though it was by no means late
in the day, the sun was already
sinking, and the bright red glare
which filled the heavens and shone
full upon the faces of the half-
anD tbc Clock 105
dozen persons before me added
much to the tragic nature of the
scene, though we were far from
comprehending its full significance.
The Doctor sat with his wife in
the stern, and it was upon their
faces my glance was fixed. The
glare shone luridly on his sightless
eyeballs, and as I noticed his un-
winking lids I realized as never be-
fore what it was to be blind in the
midst of sunshine. Her eyes, on
the contrary, were lowered, but
there was a look of hopeless misery
in her colorless face which made
her appearance infinitely pathetic,
and I felt confident that if he
could only have seen her, he would
not have maintained the cold and
unresponsive manner which chilled
the words on her lips and made all
advance on her part impossible.
On the seat in front of them sat
io6 cbe 2>octor, bis "Mile
the Inspector and a doctor, and
from some quarter, possibly from
under the Inspector's coat, there
came the monotonous ticking of
a small clock, which, I had been
told, was to serve as a target for
the blind man's aim.
This ticking was all I heard,
though the noise and bustle of
a great traffic was pressing upon
us on every side. And I am sure
it was all that she heard, as, with
hand pressed to her heart and eyes
fixed on the opposite shore, she
waited for the event which was to
determine whether the man she
loved was a criminal or only a
being afflicted of God, and worthy
of her unceasing care and devo-
tion.
As the sun cast its last scarlet
gleam over the water, the boat
grounded, and it fell to my lot to
anD tbc Cloch 107
assist Mrs. Zabriskie up the bank.
As I did so, I allowed myself to
say : " I am your friend, Mrs. Za-
briskie," and was astonished to see
her tremble, and turn toward me
with a look like that of a fright-
ened child.
But there was always this char-
acteristic blending in her counte-
nance of the childlike and the
severe, such as may so often be
seen in the faces of nuns, and be-
yond an added pang of pity for
this beautiful but afflicted woman,
I let the moment pass without
giving it the weight it perhaps
demanded.
" The Doctor and his wife had a
long talk last night," was whispered
in my ear as we wound our way
along into the woods. I turned and
perceived at my side the expert
physician, portions of whose diary
io8 tfbe Doctor, bis "GCltfe
I have already quoted. He had
come by another boat.
" But it did not seem to heal
whatever breach lies between
them," he proceeded. Then in
a quick, curious tone, he asked :
" Do you believe this attempt on
his part is likely to prove anything
but a farce ? "
" I believe he will shatter the
clock to pieces with his first shot,"
I answered, and could say no more,
for we had already reached the
ground which had been selected
for this trial at arms, and the vari-
ous members of the party were
being placed in their several posi-
tions.
The Doctor, to whom light and
darkness were alike, stood with
his face towards the western glow,
and at his side were grouped the
Inspector and the two physicians.
anO tbe Clocfc 109
On the arm of one of the latter
hung Dr. Zabriskie's overcoat,
which he had taken off as soon
as he reached the field.
Mrs. Zabriskie stood at the
other end of the opening, near a
tall stump, upon which it had been
decided that the clock should be
placed when the moment came for
the Doctor to show his skill. She
had been accorded the privilege of
setting the clock on this stump,
and I saw it shining in her hand
as she paused for a moment to
glance back at the circle of gen-
tlemen who were awaiting her
movements. The hands of the
clock stood at five minutes to five,
though I scarcely noted the fact
at the time, for her eyes were on
mine, and as she passed me she
spoke :
" If he is not himself, he cannot
Doctor, bis "Mile
be trusted. Watch him carefully,
and see that he does no mischief
to himself or others. Be at his
right hand, and stop him if he does
not handle his pistol properly."
I promised, and she passed on,
setting the clock upon the stump
and immediately drawing back to
a suitable distance at the right,
where she stood, wrapped in her
long dark cloak, quite alone. Her
face shone ghastly white, even in
its environment of snow-covered
boughs which surrounded her, and,
noting this, I wished the minutes
fewer between the present mo-
ment and the hour of five, at
which he was to draw the trigger.
" Dr. Zabriskie," quoth the In-
spector, " we have endeavored to
make this trial a perfectly fair one.
You are to have one shot at a
small clock which has been placed
anD tbe Clock
within a suitable distance, and
which you are expected to hit,
guided only by the sound which it
will make in striking the hour of
five. Are you satisfied with the
arrangement ? "
" Perfectly. Where is my wife ? "
" On the other side of the field,
some ten paces from the stump
upon which the clock is fixed."
He bowed, and his face showed
satisfaction.
" May I expect the clock to
strike soon ? "
" In less than five minutes," was
the answer.
" Then let me have the pistol ;
I wish to become acquainted with
its size and weight."
We glanced at each other, then
across at her.
She made a gesture ; it was one
of acquiescence,
Doctor, bts TUflife
Immediately the Inspector
placed the weapon in the blind
man's hand. It was at once ap-
parent that the Doctor understood
the instrument, and my last doubt
vanished as to the truth of all he
had told us.
" Thank God I am blind this
hour and cannot see her," fell un-
consciously from his lips ; then,
before the echo of these words
had left my ears, he raised his
voice and observed calmly enough,
considering that he was about to
prove himself a criminal in order
to save himself from being thought
a madman,
" Let no one move. I must
have my ears free for catching
the first stroke of the clock." And
he raised the pistol before him.
There was a moment of tortur-
ing suspense and deep, unbroken
anD tbe Clock 113
silence. My eyes were on him,
and so I did not watch the clock,
but suddenly I was moved by some
irresistible impulse to note how
Mrs. Zabriskie was bearing herself
at this critical moment, and, casting
;i hurried glance in her direction,
I perceived her tall figure swaying
from side to side, as if under an
intolerable strain of feeling. Her
eyes were on the clock, the hands
of which seemed to creep with
snail-like pace along the dial,
when unexpectedly, and a full min-
ute before the minute hand had
reached the stroke of five, I caught
a movement on her part, saw the
flash of something round and white
show for an instant against the
darkness of her cloak, and was
about to shriek warning to the
Doctor, when the shrill, quick
stroke of a clock rung out on the
n4 Gbe Doctor, bis THIlife
frosty air, followed by the ping
and flash of a pistol.
A sound of shattered glass, fol-
lowed by a suppressed cry, told us
that the bullet had struck the
mark, but before we could move,
or rid our eyes of the smoke which
the wind had blown into our faces,
there came another sound which
made our hair stand on end and
sent the blood back in terror to
our hearts. Another clock was
striking, the clock which we now
perceived was still standing up-
right on the stump where Mrs.
Zabriskie had placed it.
Whence came the clock, then,
which had struck before the time
and been shattered for its pains ?
One quick look told us. On the
ground, ten paces at the right, lay
Helen Zabriskie, a broken clock at
her side, and in her breast a bullet
anD tbe Clocfc 115
which was fast sapping the life
from her sweet eyes.
We had to tell him, there was
such pleading in her looks ; and
never shall I forget the scream that
rang from his lips as he realized
the truth. Breaking from our
midst, he rushed forward, and fell
at her feet as if guided by some
supernatural instinct.
" Helen," he shrieked, " what is
this ? Were not my hands dyed
deep enough in blood that you
should make me answerable for
your life also ? '
Her eyes were closed, but she
opened them. Looking long and
steadily at his agonized face, she
faltered forth :
" It is not you who have killed
me; it is your crime. Had you
been innocent of Mr. Hasbrouck's
u6 Cbe Doctor, bis Tffilife
death, your bullet would never
have found my heart. Did you
think I could survive the proof
that you had killed that good
man ? "
" I I did it unwittingly. I
" Hush ! " she commanded, with
an awful look, which, happily, he
could not see. " I had another
motive. I wished to prove to you,
even at the cost of my life, that I
loved you, had always loved you,
and not "
It was now his turn to silence
her. His hand crept over her lips,
and his despairing face turned itself
blindly towards us.
" Go," he cried ; "leave us! Let
me take a last farewell of my
dying wife, without listeners or
spectators."
Consulting the eye of the phy-
tbe Ctocfc 117
sician who stood beside me, and
seeing no hope in it, I fell slowly
back. The others followed, and
the Doctor was left alone with his
wife. From the distant position
we took, we saw her arms creep
round his neck, saw her head fall
confidingly on his breast, then
silence settled upon them and
upon all nature, the gathering twi-
light deepening, till the last glow
disappeared from the heavens'
above and from the circle of leaf-
less trees which enclosed this tra-
gedy from the outside world.
But at last there came a stir,
and Dr. Zabriskie, rising up before
us, with the dead body of his wife
held closely to his breast, con-
fronted us with a countenance so
rapturous that he looked like a
man transfigured.
" I will carry her to the boat,"
tTbe Doctor, bis
said he. " Not another hand shall
touch her. She was my true wife,
my true wife ! " And he towered
into an attitude of such dignity
and passion, that for a moment
he took on heroic proportions and
we forgot that he had just proved
himself to have committed a cold-
blooded and ghastly crime.
The stars were shining when we
'again took our seats in the boat ;
and if the scene of our crossing to
Jersey was impressive, what shall
be said of that of our return.
The Doctor, as before, sat in the
stern, an awesome figure, upon
which the moon shone with a
white radiance that seemed to lift
his face out of the surrounding
darkness and set it, like an image
of frozen horror, before our eyes.
Against his breast he held the
anD tbe Clock
form of his dead wife, and now
and then I saw him stoop as if he
were listening for some tokens of
life at her set lips. Then he would
lift himself again, with hopeless-
ness stamped upon his features,
only to lean forward in renewed
hope that was again destined to
disappointment.
The Inspector and the accom-
panying physician had taken seats
in the bow, and unto me had been
assigned the special duty of watch-
ing over the Doctor. This I did
from a low seat in front of him.
I was therefore so close that I
heard his laboring breath, and
though my heart was full of awe
and compassion, I could not pre-
vent myself from bending towards
him and saying these words :
" Dr. Zabriskie, the mystery of
your crime is no longer a mystery
120 tTbe S>octor, bis IKflife
to me. Listen and see if I do not
understand your temptation, and
how you, a conscientious and God-
fearing man, came to slay your
innocent neighbor.
"A friend of yours, or so he
called himself, had for a long time
filled your ears with tales tending
to make you suspicious of your
wife and jealous of a certain man
whom I will not name. You knew
that your friend had a grudge
against this man, and so for many
months turned a deaf ear to his
insinuations. But finally some
change which you detected in your
wife's bearing or conversation
roused your own suspicions, and
you began to doubt if all was false
that came to your ears, and to curse
your blindness, which in a measure
rendered you helpless. The jeal-
ous fever grew and had risen to a
an& tbe Gtocfc 121
high point, when one night a
memorable night this friend met
you just as you were leaving town,
and with cruel craft whispered in
your ear that the man you hated
was even then with your wife, and
that if you would return at once
to your home you would find him
in her company.
" The demon that lurks at the
heart of all men, good or bad,
thereupon took complete posses-
sion of you, and you answered this
false friend by saying that you
would not return without a pistol.
Whereupon he offered to take you
to his house and give you his.
You consented, and getting rid of
your servant by sending him to
Poughkeepsie with your excuses,
you entered a coach with your
friend.
" You say you bought the pistol,
122 Gbe 2>octor, bis liCUfe
and perhaps you did, but, however
that may be, you left his house
with it in your pocket and, declin-
ing companionship, walked home,
arriving at the Colonnade a little
before midnight.
" Ordinarily you have no diffi-
culty in recognizing your own
doorstep. But, being in a heated
frame of mind, you walked faster
than usual and so passed your own
house and stopped at that of Mr.
Hasbrouck's, one door beyond.
As the entrances of these houses
are all alike, there was but one way
by which you could have made
yourself sure that you had reached
your own dwelling, and that was
by feeling for the doctor's sign at
the side of the door. But you
never thought of that. Absorbed
in dreams of vengeance, your sole
impulse was to enter by the quick-
anD tbe Clock 123
est means possible. Taking out
your night-key, you thrust it into
the lock. It fitted, but it took
strength to turn it, so much
strength that the key was twisted
and bent by the effort. But this
incident, which would have at-
tracted your attention at another
time, was lost upon you at this
moment. An entrance had been
effected, and you were in too ex-
cited a frame of mind to notice at
what cost, or to detect the small
differences apparent in the atmos-
phere and furnishings of the two
houses trifles which would have
arrested your attention under
other circumstances, and made you
pause before the upper floor had
been reached.
" It was while going up the
stairs that you took out your pis-
tol, so that by the time you ar-
124 tTbe SJoctor, bfs tCUfe
rived at the front-room door you
held it ready cocked and drawn in
your hand. For, being blind, you
feared escape on the part of your
victim, and so waited for nothing
but the sound of a man's voice be-
fore firing. When, therefore, the
unfortunate Mr. Hasbrouck,roused
by this sudden intrusion, advanced
with an exclamation of astonish-
ment, you pulled the trigger, kill-
ing him on the spot. It must have
been immediately upon his fall
that you recognized from some
word he uttered, or from some
contact you may have had with
your surroundings, that you were
in the wrong house and had killed
the wrong man ; for you cried out,
in evident remorse, ' God ! what
have I done ! ' and fled without
approaching your victim.
" Descending the stairs, you
and tbe Clock 125
rushed from the house, closing the
front door behind you and regain-
ing your own without being seen.
But here you found yourself baf-
fled in your attempted escape, by
two things. First, by the pistol
you still held in your hand, and
secondly, by the fact that the key
upon which you depended for en-
tering your own door was so
twisted out of shape that you knew
it would be useless for you to at-
tempt to use it. What did you do
in this emergency? You have
already told us, though the story
seemed so improbable at the time,
you found nobody to believe it
but myself. The pistol you flung
far away from you down the pave-
ment, from which, by one of those
rare chances which sometimes
happen in this world, it was pres-
ently picked up by some late
126 abe Doctor, bt6 "Mile
passer-by of more or less doubtful
character. The door offered less
of an obstacle than you antici-
pated ; for when you turned to it
again you found it, if I am not
greatly mistaken, ajar, left so, as
we have reason to believe, by one
who had gone out of it but a few
minutes before in a state which
left him but little master of his ac-
tions. It was this fact which pro-
vided you with an answer when
you were asked how you succeeded
in getting into Mr. Hasbrouck's
house after the family had retired
for the night.
" Astonished at the coincidence,
but hailing with gladness the de-
liverance which it offered, you went
in and ascended at once into your
wife's presence ; and it was from
her lips, and not from those of
Mrs. Hasbrouck, that the cry arose
an> tbe Clock 127
which startled the neighborhood
and prepared men's minds for the
tragic words which were shouted
a moment later from the next
house.
" But she who uttered the scream
knew of no tragedy save that
which was taking place in her own
breast. She had just repulsed a
dastardly suitor, and, seeing you
enter so unexpectedly in a state
of unaccountable horror and agi-
tation, was naturally stricken with
dismay, and thought she saw your
ghost, or, what was worse, a possi-
ble avenger ; while you, having
failed to kill the man you sought,
and having killed a man you es-
teemed, let no surprise on her part
lure you into any dangerous self-
betrayal. You strove instead to
soothe her, and even attempted to
explain the excitement under
128 Cbe Doctor, bis "Mile
which you labored, by an account
of your narrow escape at the sta-
tion, till the sudden alarm from
next door distracted her attention,
and sent both your thoughts and
hers in a different direction. Not
till conscience had fully awakened
and the horror of your act had had
time to tell upon your sensitive
nature, did you breathe forth those
vague confessions, which, not being
supported by the only explana-
tions which would have made them
credible, led her, as well as the po-
lice, to consider you affected in
your mind. Your pride as a man,
and your consideration for her as
a woman, kept you silent, but did
not keep the worm from preying
upon your heart.
" Am I not correct in my sur-
mises, Dr. Zabriskie, and is not
this the true explanation of your
crime ?"
an& tbe Glocfc 129
With a strange look, he lifted up
his face.
"Hush!" said he; ''you will
awaken her. See how peacefully
she sleeps ! I should not like to
have her awakened now, she is so
tired, and I I have not watched
over her as I should."
Appalled at his gesture, his look,
his tone, I drew back, and for a
few minutes no sound was to be
heard but the steady dip-dip of the
oars and the lap-lap of the waters
against the boat. Then there came
a quick uprising, the swaying be-
fore me of something dark and tall
and threatening, and before I could
speak or move, or even stretch
forth my hands to stay him, the
seat before me was empty and
darkness had filled the place where
but an instant previous he had sat,
a fearsome figure, erect and rigid
as a sphinx.
130 Cbe Doctor, bis TICiife
What little moonlight there was
only served to show us a few rising
bubbles, marking the spot where
the unfortunate man had sunk with
his much-loved burden. We could
not save him. As the widening
circles fled farther and farther out,
the tide drifted us away, and we
lost the spot which had seen the
termination of one of earth's sad-
dest tragedies.
The bodies were never recov-
ered. The police reserved to them-
selves the right of withholding
from the public the real facts
which made this catastrophe an
awful remembrance to those who
witnessed it. A verdict of acci-
dental death by drowning an-
swered all purposes, and saved the
memory of the unfortunate pair
from such calumny as might have
and tbc Clock 131
otherwise assailed it. It was the
least we could do for two beings
whom circumstances had so greatly
afflicted.
THE END.
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