|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 24
But here Bryce met his first check. Down each side of the old
chart--dated 1850--there was a tabulated list of the tombs in
Paradise. The names of families and persons were given in
this list--against each name was a number corresponding with
the same number, marked on the various divisions of the chart.
And there was no Richard Jenkins on that list--he went over it
carefully twice, thrice. It was not there. Obviously, if the
tomb of Richard Jenkins, who was buried in Paradise in 1715,
was still there, amongst the cypresses and yew trees, the name
and inscription on it had vanished, worn away by time and
weather, when that chart had been made, a hundred and
thirty-five years later. And in that case, what did the
memorandum mean which Bryce had found in the dead man's purse?
He turned away at last from the chart, at a loss--and Campany
glanced at him.
"Found what you wanted?" he asked.
"Oh, yes!" replied Bryce, primed with a ready answer. "I just
wanted to see where the Spelbanks were buried--quite a lot of
them, I see."
"Southeast corner of Paradise," said Campany. "Several tombs.
I could have spared you the trouble of looking."
"You're a regular encyclopaedia about the place," laughed
Bryce. "I suppose you know every spout and gargoyle!"
"Ought to," answered the librarian. "I've been fed on it, man
and boy, for five-and-forty years."
Bryce made some fitting remark and went out and home to his
rooms--there to spend most of the ensuing evening in trying to
puzzle out the various mysteries of the day. He got no more
light on them then, and he was still exercising his brains on
them when he went to the inquest next morning--to find the
Coroner's court packed to the doors with an assemblage of
townsfolk just as curious as he was. And as he sat there,
listening to the preliminaries, and to the evidence of the
first witnesses, his active and scheming mind figured to
itself, not without much cynical amusement, how a word or two
from his lips would go far to solve matters. He thought of
what he might tell--if he told all the truth. He thought of
what he might get out of Ransford if he, Bryce, were Coroner,
or solicitor, and had Ransford in that witness-box. He would
ask him on his oath if he knew that dead man--if he had had
dealings with him in times past--if he had met and spoken to
him on that eventful morning he would ask him, point-blank, if
it was not his hand that had thrown him to his death. But
Bryce had no intention of making any revelations just then--as
for himself he was going to tell just as much as he pleased
and no more. And so he sat and heard--and knew from what he
heard that everybody there was in a hopeless fog, and that
in all that crowd there was but one man who had any real
suspicion of the truth, and that that man was himself.
The evidence given in the first stages of the inquiry was all
known to Bryce, and to most people in the court, already. Mr.
Dellingham told how he had met the dead man in the train,
journeying from London to Wrychester. Mrs. Partingley told
how he had arrived at the Mitre, registered in her book as Mr.
John Braden, and had next morning asked if he could get a
conveyance for Saxonsteade in the afternoon, as he wished to
see the Duke. Mr. Folliot testified to having seen him in the
Cathedral, going towards one of the stairways leading to the
gallery. Varner--most important witness of all up to that
point--told of what he had seen. Bryce himself, followed by
Ransford, gave medical evidence; Mitchington told of his
examination of the dead man's clothing and effects in his room
at the Mitre. And Mitchington added the first information
which was new to Bryce.
"In consequence of finding the book about Barthorpe in the
suit-case," said Mitchington, "we sent a long telegram
yesterday to the police there, telling them what had happened,
and asking them to make the most careful inquiries at once
about any townsman of theirs of the name of John Braden, and
to wire us the result of such inquiries this morning. This is
their reply, received by us an hour ago. Nothing whatever is
known at Barthorpe--which is a very small town--of any person
of that name."
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|