Page:The Mystery of Central Park.djvu/198

192 ears stood stiffly erect, expressive of cool amusement at the fat pug's futile attempts to throw him.

As Richard pushed his chair back and lighted a cigarette, a man-servant entered quietly and put a large envelope and a smaller one on the table before him. Richard took the larger envelope and read the superscription.

To

RICHARD TREADWELL, ESQRE.

He hastily tore it open with his thumb. The letter began without any preliminaries:

In writing this I place my life at your disposal. I neither expect mercy nor ask it.

I have been so wretched for days that life is a burden I little care to bear.