Page:The Master of Mysteries (1912).djvu/458

 Astro coolly took out his cigarette case and lighted a cigarette. "Well, McGraw," he said, smiling, "didn't I promise you a confession?"

McGraw, stupefied, clasped the handcuffs on Dennis' wrists. Miss Wilson fell, almost fainting, on the bench, where Valeska put her arm tenderly about her.

"Well, Dennis, you're fairly caught," said Astro. "I've known for some time that you were guilty; but it's so much more satisfactory to have an out-and-out confession. Now I'll trouble you for the key to Middlebury's door." And, so saying, he reached into the boy's trousers pocket and brought forth a small Yale key.

"When did you find it, Dennis?"

"I found it last week, sir, on the floor of my car."

"And you kept it thinking it might come in handy, and perhaps get the night watchman into trouble, eh? So you were jealous of Mr. Middlebury on Miss Wilson's account, were you?"

"Oh, it made me wild, sir! I just couldn't stand it when she told me he had kissed her, and when I saw her going up there to-night I went crazy."

"So you stole Thompson's gun from the cellar, went up when Thompson was on his rounds, opened the door with your key, and shot Mr. Middlebury?"

"Yes, sir!" Dennis' voice was faint.

"Then you ran your car to the cellar, threw the gun into the furnace, then went up and found Thompson and told him you had heard a shot?"

"Yes, sir. Oh, I was crazy! I was crazy about her!"

"And you thought if you said nothing about her she would escape?"