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The Wingham Times, 1898-08-05, Page 7PY f r4+MCHMONT. M COO YR,GN• lay, These were only mew of the cosi >nents, while the reports of every iuc: dent that could be got Bold of ever greedily sought for and used, and at th inquest a Email regiment of reports appeared. But when all was said and done an 'questioned there was :aothiug came on that real]y damaged Lola except the on feet that she had gone away under eir ,ounaetances which no one could under stand. Iu the smaller circle of those who 'knew the facts great curiosity and coin- tment were aroused by the dagger and •the bracelet, It was the latter which .made the mystery complete, and In- spector Borderham himself was most baffled by this. As ho said over and ober again, he himself bac! found the bracelet. Nota soul knew of its having been found until he trot to Iti atcote Manor and took it out of his pocket, and therefore he was most emphatic that'the only course was to accept the - have often mentioned to you that I can't i- + fathom—whether there was any sort of O understenciing between Lola and that o brute. I have thought 'sometimes --in reporter +4t1YM0R oft es.Ia,3, 'MISeR M4ADLt.Y5 3Baltane' "Yat Mterree oFnontrieee $1&A►ijl 13Y WHQSE MAN4'0 O o 0 'THt QLD MILL ettereRY ter ee n 4 , rte AUTHOR fact, Gifford suggested the idea to mo-- that o—that he may hays had some kind of hold d over her, something that—but, there. t I won't try to think in that vein, I o,.;., w1.411 to heaven I'd had the beggar out and shot hint before he caused all 'this trouble! "She says in her letter," he said, harking back suddeuly to tee thought which he had started and left end tak- ing from his pocket Lola's last letter to him, already thumbed and soiled from constant reading, "that sire was within an ace of telling me when something I said stopped her. Whet a tactless, blundering dolt X must bel If I hadn't checked her, all this misery and trag- &le and ruin might have been saved. Oh, now I have cursed myself for that cluni:iness!" he cried angrily. . "I sect no need for self reproach." said 13eryl. "It would hays been better if she had been led to speak, but" --- She left the sentence unfinished, and Sir Jaffray Looked at tier as though to question her. While he was thinking what to reply. nee police inspector was announced. "Excuse my troubling you again, Sir Jaffrey," ho said --he had already been once that clay at the manor house— "but I am on my way to the adjourned inquest, and I thought you would like to know that I have arranged to com- plete the inquiry this afternoon and not have another adjournment." "That is certainly what I wish, in- spector." The inquiry had indeed been some- what hurried over In deference to the expressed wish of the baronet, while that course also fell in with the inspect- or's own desires. He had been pleased enough to get the utmost publicity giv- en to the case and bad himself secretly helped to insure this end by spreading t some few unimportant but telling de- tails. But now the publicity was getting mech greater than he wished, and the i comments were taking quite a different form from what be .canted. The papers t] were trying the case and were handling I him rather roughly in the process. Moreover, the details published were such as could not fail to• put those r implicated, however dense, on their >` guard and to keep them posted as to the actions of the police; hence the in- s specter's eagerness to stop the whole o thing and by limiting as much as pos- sible the scope of the inquest to hide the intentions and plans of the police. His ambition was to burke the inquiry at the very moment when public curi- osity was at the highest fever point and then suddenly and as if by a kind of polies magic produce the culprit and the evidence of guilt. To do this he was prepared to go to quits unusual lengths. "I don't think we need to go into anything more now but the barest facts," he continued. "We shall have 'the medical evidence of the cause of . death, that the wound could not bave been self inflicted and that the blow must have been Struck by some one else. That will bo enough to warrant the jury giviug a verdict, . and that's what we want." ""What will the verdict be, Air. Ilor- derham?" "There can be but one, Sir Jaffray-- willful murder by some person or per- sons unknown. That's clear. It's the only one that fits the facts." ""And you think the inquiry will fin- ish today?" ""it really rests with me and the oor- position and look for the person who .had done the deed among those who eouid have access to Leycester Court, For Sir Jaffray himself the time was :one of tiro most distressing trouble, and .his disappointment when Lola was not 'found and did not of her own free will 'return to the manor was keen and poigu- .ant. "I am afraid she is dead, Beryl," he said on the third day after the discov- ery of the murder, ""She has made away with herself in her sorrow and ;madness." "`There is nothing• to suggest that, .nothing more than there we two days ego," replied Beryl, thiuk g secretly that it could perhaps be the best end- ing for them all. "Yes, there is the fact that she has not come back," he answered. "If, which heaven forbid, she did this deed in .her madness and any knowledge 'came to her afterward of what she had alone, she would da one of two things- -either cores back at once and own the full truth or lay violent hands on her •own life. I know her." ""There is time for her to come bank ;yet, Suppose, as you say, that she did this in her delirium. She may yet be 'wandering somewhere in the same stats .and may know nothing of what has happened." "The whole country is ringing with :news of the luau's (teeth She could not fail to hear of it if she - ere alive. I tell you she is dead, and if hex end were peaceful it is best so." He sighed heav- ily. "It is an awful thing that I should .ever have to say that about her, but I would rather see her dead than mad, .and she must be ono cr the other, or we are all out of our aonses." Beryl did not answer this at once, but sat thinking out the problem as it showed in the light of her own knowl- edge. "We may all be out of our senses tri 'that respect, Jaffray. We may be judg- ing her without cause." ""I would to God that I could think son' .he esclainiccl, with fierce energy. '"I would give my life to feel sure of it, but 1 can't Beryl, I can't, I have tried to piece the things tcgether that you and I know and to fed in them any- thing but the peace's of her decd, and X •can't, Look at the things as 1 wi they lead me nowhere but to ane con - 'elusion. There is not a Tuan in England who if he knew what we know would .not think what we think. I don't un- dorstand the thing;. I can't, except on the one t-uppositi";n that Elie is mad, .and it breaks my (inert to think that," :ten He paused, but Beryl did not break the silence, "The thing is all so horribly com- pletel I have talked it over and over 'with Gifford, trying to get from him a -suggestion that may point in another 'direotiou, but all his ingenuity cannot (offer a hint that the evidence doesn't utterly smash, It is perfectly clear that •she left the manor house before this rant was killed. It is quite as certain that he wrote to her the letter telling .icer to meet him. It Is clear again that :she got the letter, and that she did go to see him, and just as clear that she was there and dropped that bracelet in the struggle with him and used that if ,dagger, and then on the top of all .3 •conies this absolutely inexplicable flight. It would all be different if only she were here. If she would come bete and lay her hand in mine and tell mo she knew nothing of all this, I would he- liove her and hold out for heriunoeence Against the whole world, mad or sane. ;Bat she ^*';.i't or ••r And yet I hate land loathe inyself for harboring the :t.�ought that, maid or sane, she could r21n third; of takingthis man's life. .And the strains of it all is enou li to ti11 one," g Beryl t.:"�nt;ht it best to let him apeak Moly • , y .lis tt interruption. "There. is .only* the one thing that I N � ,1,\ (;r r i A 24 1111114.161 AUGUST 5, I b9S, 1 y Immix of a ce..,,uez A luny, It's all as ;arcs a4ncl nothing he. It'a ail rigiat ennui;h fora 1}'swl.cttnr halfpenny tial pet case, where th faet, Iie as pieiu in eight as eggs in a. thrush's nest, but where there's serious business inquests are worse than. no goad." "levee" said Sir Jaffray shortly, ""Talie•.sueh a thing es this matter of the dagger, now," continuer! the in. Spector. " hat would at coroner's jury make o i that, I'tshould like to know? Suppoe I was to tell 'esu all the facts --that e diger was one of two just alike �iveieb yon brought borne from America; and that the brace- let was one of two brought name just the Fame way, and that, whereas Lady Walcott) was missing and Miss Leycester Imre was on the spot, Miss Leycester's dagger and bracelet bad got mixed up in this crime, while Lady Walcote's were both lying where they had always been, ono in the cabinet and the other ill the jewel case, What do you suppose theyivon)cl inake of that? What cpuld they snake cf it?" Il0 stopped and looked .tit both his hearers in turn, as if waiting for theins to speak. But neither of them said anything, and lie continued: "'feat would be a poser by itself, but now just throw in a spice of mystery and try to imagine what the effect would be. Suppose I were to read these n letter that has been sent to me to the effect that at the time of the death of this Frenchman neither the dagger nor the bracelet was in the manor here, but that both were put in their places after- ward, put there from Leycester Court. What do you think they would say then? Why, we should have all sorts of wild stories repeated everywhere, with all.sorts of charges against all sorts of people. .And how ceulci I carry on my work of inquiry then?" He stopped again, but only for a sec- ond, and it was evident now to both Sir Jaffray and Beryl that he was speaking with a purpose. "But I don't work in !hat way. I simply leave that letter—of course it's anonymous—out of the question, If I ask any question, it is how the writer, whoever it is, comes to know so much about it. .And then I argue thus: If the story be true and these things were put back, no oro knows anything about It officially and authoritatively except myself and the people who may be sup- posed to have done it, and what isn't known officially can always be contra- dicted. And if it were ever known totembo t,that any one bad, in a moment to misapprehension, done anything of he kind rind wanted to cancel the ar- - rangement nothing would be easier, supposing ,it is not officially known. Publicity, therefore, would be a huge nistake in all interests. No, no, Sir Jaffray; if this thing is ever to be traced, he tracing will have to • be done quiet - y, under the surface, and altogether apart from any coroner's court." Ile rose as he said this and made ae• f to leave the room, and when he eached the door be turned and said: "You'll be at the inquest, Sir Jaf- ay? And I suppose there's no possibil- ty of any mistakes Having been made, f any hoax having been played upon yon and bliss Leycester in the matter of that dagger and bracelet. If it i possible in any way, I really think ya ought to make some inquiries. It would be well to be able to give the lie to the anonymous writer." "I shall be at tete inquest," answered Sir Jaffray. Then the police inspector went away, and the baronet turned to Beryl, feel- ing 'any uneasy at the unexpected turn natters had taken in regard to the re- placing of the dagger and the bracelet. 7 '"Why not go tlirou; h with. it?" este Beryl finely, ""Because we cannot, It is a shoe impossibility, So Jong as there was n question asked and the weapons r snaMued io speak for themselves titer -was no serious responsibility. Heaven knows I had no intention a# doing any- thing wrong. I icnaw your object, Beryl, -vole enough, and I cannot tell you bow inexpressibly grateful r ate to you for it, but we have been wrong. We have tried to. set the ironer of our family before the truth, and naw we see the result. t have tried to shield my poor, inisguided wife, anti I've sacrificed you instead. I've beelimiserably selfish just when. I ought to have been most careful to guard Sop." ""n think you beanie yourself without cause, Jaffray. I am not one bit ashamed of what I have done. I would stand up tomorrow in the face of all England and tell what 1 did, rind, what is more, I would do it again tomorrow, and I don't believe the bulk of people would blame rue, If they did, I should not care," she added, flushing in her euthu- siasia, ""if 1 bad helped. you." ""Spoken liko ray dear, dear old friend and playmate, Beryl," ho said, taking her band and pressing it, "'You brace one's faith in bunion nature, and I be- lieve with you that the world would not blame you for what has happened, but that would only make my responsi-. bility the greater. But now there is no WO in regretting. I must rind out what we can do," "Do you think really that Air, Bor- derham has had that letter?" ""Unquestionably I do, and, what is more, he means us to understand that ho will act upou it if I wake it neces- sary for him. I will go to the inquest and hear -what transpires, and then I will have a talk with Gifford. I must apeak plainly to him." "He knows," said Beryl. "`How do you mean?" asked the bar- onet quickly. Beryl told him what Mr. Gifford had said to her about the absence of dust on the dagger and the significant way he bac! spoken. Sir Jaffrey Iistened with a gathering frown of regret and annoyance. ""Borderham may have suspected it even then," he said. ""Those men don't carry about faces like open books. I'll speak to Gifford and see what happens at the inquest. Meantime try to think I am really and honestly troubled to have brought this ou you." Ho stood for a moment near her, as if going to say more, and Beryl, think- ing this, did not reply, but be said nothing, and at the close cf a somewhat embarrassed pause be Iveret out of the zoom, just turning by the door to smile to her. She was a little puzzled by his con- duct, and with a frown of perplexity on her forehead she sat for a minute or two thinking of it all. Then she smiled to herself very slightly and murmured: nn l'I'glad I did it. Whatever Happens they can't do auything very dreadful to me, and Jaffray must Seo I did it for His sake." Then she went upstairs to Lady Walcote's rooms. At the inquest everything went as Inspector Borderham had anticipated, u He offered just such evidence as, he thought necessary, and the coroner t summed up the case on the evidence presented. One juryman was disposed to question the desirability of not going into more of the facts, but the other 11, who had been drawn carefully from the Walcote estates, took their cue from the foreman and declared themselves per- fectly satisfied and gave their verdict in the exact terms the inspector bad prophesied that they would. "And now," said the inspector to Mn. Gifford and Sir Jaffe ay wheu it was all over and the courtroom was empty'ieg fast—"now begins the serious business of the investigation," ""'You've had some anonymous letter, I hear, about the weapon," said Mr. Gifford, to whom the baronet had al- ready spoken. ""Do you mind my see- ing• it?" ""Not in the Ieast. Here it is." And ' he produced it, "You see the sugges- tion," he said pointedly. ""Acid a most monstrous ane it is," Who's that sosuebody? d "I can't imagine." ""Esaetly, Neither can ISatpresent, ✓ but we must find that out. In, the Hyatt o place, is it a Somebody at all, or is it e- just a dodge of .our friend Borderham? E, If he bad a ghost of an idea that any - 11 t - to he et aY if s - to At id r. a vex „ et y nt ut e h S Jaffrey, is of 0 go running oft' to your solicitor in the , fear that you may be involved as some sort of accessory"-- "Do you mean"— began the baronet hurriedly, taking alarm for Beryl's sake at the other's words and bursting in with his interruption. "`Wait a moment, sir, please, and try to hear what I have to say. He wants to frighten you to go rushing off to tell some very respectable, steady going solicitor all the facts, knowing- full nowing full well that such a man's first advice will be to you to take Borderhate's hint and make the change again while the Chance seems open"--- "If there is any possibility," inter- ' repted Sir Jaffray again, when his Com- panion cut him short once more:. ""Please, please, please allow me and do try to hoar me patiently, If yon do that, Borderliain will not hesitate one minute. He'll be off to the nearest J. P. and get a warrant for Lady Waleote's arrest. At present be has absolutely nothing to go on, bar the fact of her ladyship's absence and the circumstance that there was a quarrel on the morn- ing of the day about her as the result of which you turned the Frenchman out of the house, That's all the evidence he's got, because we've got all the rest, and at best it's only mere flimsy sus- picion. But add the foot of the dagger found in the man's heart being the property of her ladyship, and you have just that substantial evidence on which a man can work and act. You see that?" "`Yes, yes. Of course," assented the baronet hurriedly. "Exactly. Well, then, if it's bonuce, it's clear that you lied better not give the thing away yet. But Pm not dis- posed to think it's bounce. I believe he did receive a letter." "Well, but who could send such a thing?" "Precisely. Wet']1 see about that presently. First let us see what wo ought to do in this matter, supposing the letter's genuine. What can He do? Ile won't threaten.you. Ho knows bet- tor than to do that for personal reasons. If you were a poor and obscure indi- vidual, and if Miss Leycester were a wretohecl, friendless girl, nothing would be easier than to take you both by the throat, so to speak, and just shake the knowledge out of you. There's no difference between rich and poor in the eye of the law, you know, but there's a deal of difference between 'em in the hands of the police, I can tell you," said Mr. Gifford dryly. "As it is," he continued after a pause, "the inspector conies to you all soft tongued and pleasant, hints that if• you've been hoaxed you may wish to see that the thing is put right, Slid so on. I know all that sort of talk, and, putting it bluntly, it means that so long as you dau't speak he daren't try to maks you unless --unless, mind you, he Call get some defluite, positive evi demo.. You needn't bother yourself one little bit about the thing yet, therefore, but when he comes, as ho will, of amen, you tau just say that you wouldn't thiuk of doing auything, be- cause somtiskulking coward liar written as an anonymous letter what a newspa- per penny a liner might hint for the perpose of getting up a sensation, auct if—excuse my giving you a hint—if you'll put on, a little grandee manner and tell him you are surprised he should let himself be fooled by an anonymous correspondent you may do a good deal to check kiln." thing of the kind land been done, it'sa on the cards he'd get such a letter wri ten to himself just to bounce us iu throwing that trump card dawn on t table. it stands to common seise th he'd give a lot to get the difdeulty that dagger business cleared up, and he could Shaw that it really was Lady Walcute's dagger .and eat .Miss Leyee ter's it would be a good enough thing far him to conclude that Lady Wake: was the person wanted. And, don make any mistake, that inspector wou give half his nose to spot the truth i this thing, I never saw a man becne Be scents promotion in it, removal to busy center and reputation as a clew spot --I mean, detective. I know him, ""His manner was in the highest d gree courteous to rue," said ,Six Jaffra in reply. "" 'Cause lie's no fool," was the bin answer, ""Fie wants to stand well wit CHAPTER XXIIL ' "HER LADYSHIP, slit rAI:FRAY!" For some time after the police in- spector's departure neither Sir Jaffray nor Beryl spoke a word, both being overcome with astonishment at the hints which Inspector Borderham had dropped. Beryl was the first to speak and characteristically took the blame upon herself. "It is my fault," she said. "Oh, firay, I am so sorry!" "No, no, Bcryl; I can't let you blame urself. I ought to have seen what ould certainly happen, though, now at it has happened, I am bound to y I am token absolutely by surprise. ho can possibly have noticed that the ings were absent for a time and then t back? At most there can only have Inez) a few hours during which they could be missed. I -yonder!" he Cried and then stepped and exclaimed, "That is too dreadful a thoughtl" "What is that?" asked Beryl anx- iously. "Can it be possible that any one can have seen Lola take that dagger out of the cabinet?" "I had not thought of that. It can't bo possible, Even if she did take it she would be cautious not to be seen," "If1" he repeated. "HI I wish with all my heart I eouid feel that if. What fear is that in the frenzy in which she must have Acted she avould be utterly heedless of anything and anybody' and. not give a thought to the question whether she was seen or not, But that f is not the point now. I am mad with myself for ever having brought your name into this most miserable affair. The thing has been bruited all over the kingdom now,an d to draw back seems as difiloult as to no on." 3a 90 oner, Sir ,Taffray, and, in truth, we both w thought you would prefer to have the th matter ended as 20011 as possible. We Ea MU do no good by prolonging an in- W quest of the kind, and I rim simply not th going to offer any evidence which will Au be likely to drag it out, Personalty I "No, no, Sir raferse# the treeing win have to he done quietly." don't liko working in the light in that rvay, with all the Countryside knowing every stop you take. If this thing's over to be found vitt at all, it meal bo exclaimed Mr. Gifford, "a most mon- strous ones I suppose you Haven't re ghost of an idea who wrote this?" "If I had,' I am afraid I could hardly tell you, Mr. Gifford," was the reply, given with a smile, "lint I nava not. I am thinking, where to icok." "So ausik 1," returned the other short- ly. "Wed is there owes you a grudge, Sir Jaffray --:Miss Leycester or, for that swatter, LadyWalcote either? Hate of some kind inspired that letter." "I am at a loss even to guess," re- plied Sir Jaffray. "May 1 take a tracing of a bit of the letter, Mr. Borderham?" And without waiting for permission Air. Gifford did so, rapidly and cleverly, and handed the letter back to the inspector, and then Sir Jaffray and the private detect- ive walked back together to the manor house, the baronet explaining more fully all that had passed. "What do you think of it, kir, Gif- ford?" he asked at the close. "I can't see it ell yet, but I have a suspicion. I think the better filen will be to hold out against the inspector's hint, at any rate for a time. It's clear enough what leo means. What he wants is to ba spared the trouble of having to solve the Mystery of the Weapon, and somebody. teens to want to hely? hint, you, end, if anything is to be found o that will pain you, to have it seem to b orced out. But he's quite clever enoug o try to use yon all the same, affray, You see, he argues in th way: If there's been any exchange hese daggers, be eau frighten you t t t "This is ell very distasteful to me, Mr. Gifford," said Sir Jaffray after he had thought over the btber's suggestiau. "I've uo doubt it is, Sir Jaffrey," re - tamed his companion shortly, "but the alternative is an itnteediate -warrant for Lady Waloote's arrest on the cherge of murder." "But I object very strongly to any course that entails this deceit and false- hood. I have no right to put this indigx pity upon Miss Leycester, If she were questioned',,,,;, Shad be quite equal to keeping Mr. Eorderhans at bay," interposed Mr. Gifford bluntly. "'The world isn't a ra; a itite "Watt!" site said, ,kto wiping and dra'urfnS ' Waco of truth, sir, and if we have ten have a nodding acquaintance now and then with the father of lies it needn't bunt us. But of course yen can do aes you like, only if you're going to *too this I may as well go back to town." "But what do you -expect to gain by keeping up this thing now that it isi suspected?" "Time, Sir Jaffray. wbicla is every- thing. Let us put the thing plainly for Miss Leycester, I know what she'll say." Sir Jaffray assented to tbis, and Mr Gifford went over the tviiole ground! with Beryl, telling her precisely what he lead told the baronet and leaving her to decide. Without a momentne. hesitation she decided in favor of stand- ing by what they bad done. "I don't like the-eception, Beryl," said Sir Jaffray at the close. "Wberm Mr. Borderham comes to question you, you will be placed in it most awkward! fix. But I will do this: I will consents to saying nothing for three days --nor longer. Then, whatever happens, that facts shall be told." It was left so, but there was no needs' for even so long a delay, for the next day brought a startling development. The inspector carne in the mornings' and by his desire saw Beryl and Sirs Jaffray together. Mr. Gifford was pres- ent. "I want you to understand may pont- tion exactly, Sir Jaffray," he said quiet~-. ly and deferentially. "I told you yes-. terday of an anonymous letter whicft had been sent to me saying that thea dagger and bracelet bad been put in thee places where we four found them after the death of the Frenchman. I have Ohii ;.rel. Cry .ro• Cw M O . y spEps7 "For over eleven years I sttffereet terribly with Dyspepsia and tried every- thing I could think of, but got no retie until I started using Burdock B:oo& Bitters. 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