outcome of the opinions of such men. He has vaunted for years
that he believed neither in God nor Devil. He admitted no
responsibilities to a Supreme Being, and when a man occupies such an
attitude, what moral standard can he have? He hated Ned--poor
Ned!--and then, having no standard of right before him, having no
religion to sustain him, or to rebuke him, he became, in fact, what he
was at heart--a murderer! You know what I have always said, Mary,
about these socialistic fellows: Atheism lies at the root of it all!
When a man ceases to believe in God he can be trusted for nothing. If
religion is destroyed then all is destroyed!"

Each word seemed to ring like a knell in the girl's heart. It was as
though judgment were passed already, and Paul Stepaside were condemned.

"But I must find out more about it," he went on. "Particulars will be
flashing over a thousand wires by this time. I must send a wire to
Howden Clough, too. I must try and find out the truth, the whole
truth!"

And then he went out of the room, leaving Mary bewildered.

CHAPTER XIV

PAUL IS APPREHENDED FOR MURDER

"Paul Stepaside, I apprehend you for the murder of Mr. Edward Wilson!"

The words stunned him, and for the moment he scarcely realised their
purport--but only for a moment. His mind asserted itself, and the
meaning of what he had just heard came to him in all its grim reality.

"I have to inform you," said the sergeant of the police, "that anything
that you may say to me may be used against you as evidence hereafter."

Paul looked at the man's face with a kind of curiosity. For the moment
he seemed to be watching some drama of events with which he had nothing
to do. The three policemen were of the ordinary well-fed and somewhat
self-satisfied class of men. They acted upon order, without much
intelligence. Paul hesitated a moment, and began to reflect deeply.
He called to mind all the events of the last few hours, and his heart
was filled with a great terror. That which, a little while before, had
seemed only a dark shadow now assumed tangible shape.

"Very well, I will go with you," he said quietly. And then, again
reflecting a moment, he continued: "But first of all I would like to
speak to my mother."

"No," said the sergeant. "I can't allow you to go out of my sight."

"Think what you're saying, my man!" said Paul sharply.

"I can't help it, sir," replied the sergeant. "I'm only acting upon
orders"; a