Hand and Ring

Calcul

T

e and palpabl

ed and measured

nclusion — cl

ses incont

ltr

at the result of the day’s proceedings, had manifested his desire of putting certain questions to the young man, and had begun by such inquir

hen asked why he wished to see her at this time, admitted, with some manifestation of shame, that he desired to see for himself whether she was really in as strong and healthy a condition as he had al

rs. Clemmens?” the

sir; I

he

y, sir; ab

bravado, and the silence among th

morning she was murdered, and that you had an interview

d

k that accompanied it. The coroner moved a little forward i

the road and enter into it by means o

d

ne, or see no one at the windows o

, s

and what was the result of the inter

, save that she was well and hearty, and likely to live out her threescor

d darkly, and a thrill of horror sped through the room as

ou please, and whether the widow knew who you were; and

ed in his face was the flush of shame, or, so thought Mr. Byrd, and in his reply, when he gave it, there was a bitterness of self-scorn that reminded the detect

did; but she did not know who I was, for — for I pretended to be a seller of patent medicine, warranted to cure all ills, and she told me she had no ills, and — and

n his hands, recommended the witness to be calm and not to allow any small feelings of personal mortification to inte

say, and with what w

at mistake, if she had any ailments. Upon which she retorted that she had no ailment, an

nd by the nervous workings of his lips, Mr. Byrd perceived that he dreaded

d proved that the coroner preferred to approach

sation held, and by what doo

ood in that room”— pointing to the sitt

d you not

N

d in that room to which

es

r. Hildreth’s way of uttering this word had been any thing but pleasant, and cons

otion with which he was evidently surcharged; for his next words were spoken in a comparatively quie

through the lane you encountered no on

remember. I was not looking up,

the lane, and entered the ma

es

e did you

he de

A

ve the town. I h

u do so, Mr

d

did y

here I had le

the noon t

s,

cisely five minut

ppose

t stopping anyw

s,

a ticket at

, s

hy

not hav

n was at the

iven almost to the end of his patience, or possibly

this and press

tion or not when you arri

ural anger; “but since you insist, I will tell you that it was just going out, and that I had to r

his lips and moved restlessly from side to side as if the battery of eyes leve

y, released not one jot of the stead

the assault, makes every thing you can tell us in reference to your visit of the highest importance. Was the widow alone, do you think, or did y

held out. But Mr. Hildreth either felt his cause beyond the reach of any such assistance, or his understanding was so dulled by misery he cou

ouse, I don’t know; but if so, I didn’t hea

n utterance to it, betrayed so unmistakable a consciousness of what the admission implied that the effect was immediately reversed. Seeing that he

what made you think so? Any expression of annoyance on her part at the interruption in her work which y

he did use a harsh word or two

ised he

s,

, rising, “will you be kind enough to

unmixed with alarm, the yo

the jury,” Dr. Tredwell signifie

of them but was already on his feet in eager curiosi

the centre of the sitting-room, “where it was you stood during your interview with Mr

objected, visibly rebelling at a request of w

e coroner; “you will have no trouble in taking y

young man, taking a position

the w

od t

ing

es

ick motion, summoning the witness back into the other room, asked, amid the breathless attention of the crowd, whom this bit of by-play had wrou

tted his brow an

roner; “it is not a questi

the other directly in the eye, with the first glea

he kitchen door, wait a moment as if hesitating whether he wo

, s

it. Earnestly, almost wildly, the young man watched him, drawing a

ived his last answer, “such a person did approach the house while you

quired composure. Glancing hastily about, he sought the assistance of some one both capable and willing to a

you make that all out. What proof have you that this tramp of which you speak came to the house w

a glimpse of hope, or was he driven to an extremity in his defence that forced him to assert himself? The eyes of Miss Firman and of a

tender growth of sympathy. Passing over to the witness the paper o

to jump on the train as it was leaving the station. Now, to walk from this place to the depot at any pace you would be likely to use, would occupy — well, let us say seven m

dejected and h

er at onc

nly two minutes for your interview with that lady, the conclusion remains that you were in the house when

few minutes animated him. “How do you know your witnesses have been so exact to a second when they say this and that of the goings and comings you a

from the lane, and one witness, of well-known accuracy in matters of detail, who declared on oath that she had just dropped her eyes from that same clock when she observed the tramp go into the widow’s gate, and that it w

,” was the te

before him the fatal sheet of paper, “is that Mrs. Dayton’s children next door were out playing in front of this house for some few minutes previous to the time the tramp came into

of the other seemed to

d the interview was as you say a mere interchange of a dozen words or so, that could not possibly have occupied more than three minutes;

been propounded to him, cringed visibly and bowed his head as if a stroke of vital force had descended upon it. Bringing his fist down on the table near which he stood, he seemed to utter

timated the coroner, after

wledge himself caught at a time like this in a decided equivocation. But you have cornered me fairly and squarely, and I am bound to tell the truth. Gentlemen, I did not leave the widow’s house as immediately as I said. I stayed for fully five minutes or so alo

the other with that cold official gaze which seems to act like a wall of

eling started up within him, and looking from juryman to juryman he passionately exclaimed: “You consider that acknowledgment suspicious. You wonder why a man should give a few minutes to thought after the co

ife hung in the balance. He saw this, perhaps, when it was too late, for the sweat started on his brow, and he drew hims

idow again after she left my side and went back to her kitchen in the rear of the house. The hand that struck her may hav

gainst this young man was too heavy, and his manner had been too unfortunate, for this effect to last long. Gladly as many would have been to credit this denial, if only for the name he bore and a certain fine as

this time by a juryman showed the e

y interrogated, “why you came bac

he gravity of his position had at last awaken

this woman, and my surp

you hea

the new

were su

blow myself, and could not rest till I had com

osity that brought you

wa

did all the rest. His manner was so cha

ner, “that led you to register yours

ome show of embarrassment. “Perhaps I thought that, under the

ed the coroner, with the full impressivene

neighborhood for personal if not for moral courage, flushed till it looked as if the veins wo

e, I had no premonition of the treatment I

e of his position settled heavier and heavier upon Mr. Hildreth; his head fell slowly forward, and he seemed to be asking himself how he was to meet the possibly impending

given me away, and any man would find it difficult to believe in my innocence after what has been testified to in this place. Do not hesitate, then. The shock of finding myself suspected of a horrible murde

s honesty, and gave him looks of sympathy, if not approval; while the cooler and possibly the more judicious of his auditors calmly weighed these assertion

aid. Mr. Hildreth was examined more fully, and some few of the witnesses who had been heard in the ear

with a suspicion that would ultimately end in arrest, decided that his interest in the inquest was