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" [ALL EIGHTS EBSEEVED.l
THE FAT¥UL RING.
CHAPTER. X.
Sy JOHN K. LEYS,
(fUitSor of ** The Lindsays/* ** By Traitor*’
Gate," "Iu the Toils,” "A ilaid«u#*
yictory/’ "The Bolton-sguara
Tragedy,” dec.
•Just before the Coroner tool: his seat
Eriudal received an urgent message from
Miss Murrable, asking him to spare her
a few moments if lie possibly could, Ran
“ tvw jiiuiuvnia ji no possu
dal was very unwilling to
that was said or done ~
....... anything
jmmms «utt or tione at the inquiry,
but he could not refuse this request, and
ran upstairs to Ofay's little private sit
ting-room, where he knew ho ehould hud
“Oh! Mr. Randal, it’s so good oE you
to come, but 1 do want somebody's ad
vice so badly, I suppose they will make
me go down to that dreadful inquest—
“Dear Miss Marmblo* don't /distress
yourself, I don’t think it at all likely
that they will trouble you,”
“Rut it is our duty, you know, to tell
all that could possibly throw a light on
itihe manner of {poor 21Br. dngle.stonc’n
Ueath,- which was really very mysterious.”
“Yes—well?” said Randal, impatiently.
“I know' your time must be very valu
- ,V , (141U i\uUUUl, -
_ know' your time must be very valu
able, you have so many things to think
of, and so much to occupy you, but 1
ftu juuvui 10 occupy juu, out j
„o one at all to consult but you/
“Will the woman never come to the
point V* groaned Randal within himself.
But lie judged it wiser to offer no further
mfcmmtions,
mrernmtions,
/'What I wanted to ask you Is this.
You know I have very sensitive hearing.
Now it so happened that on Christmas
Eve, just before I fell unleop, X heard
some one pass my door.”
She paused, as if expecting Randal to
shew same surprise.
mew snme surprise.
^“Nothing very astonishing in that, was
iere?" lie growled,
“Not- by itself, perhaps, but as it hap
pens I know very well who it was that
was^ of her room at that tin4a of
Again she paused, and again Randal
refined to -be impressed.
“It was the housekeeper!” said Miss
Mnrrable, in a tragic wliiupcr. “And can
you guess how X recognised her? By the
squeaking of her shoes.”
“Or some one wearing her dimes, said
Randal, with a smile. * ..
“Prav do be serious, Mr. Randal, said
tbc lady, more than half offended.
“In what direction were the footsteps
going?” asked Randal, after thinking a
moment. . ,
“They wero going away from me—time
is, down towards tdie great staircase.
“And you hoard them return?
“No, for I remember nothing more till
I was awakened by one of the servants
calling me down to the library. And now
the question with ane is, whether I should
give utterance to those suspicions, which
you perceive, point in a. certain dircotion,;
or leave ttbingis to take their own course, *
Randal paused for a moment before on*
Bering. “I will put a question, O'* **A‘" T”
' " rt% n1wvu+. f.lna. Ilf* Kflit
__ _ will put u uuwwwu v, *•
sire. Lefevre about this, he said to Aim
Bdf. “ If I were you, Musa Marroblc,
he said, aloud, “ I would say nothing M
what you have told me unless you art
asked by the Coroner. * You see, airs*.
Lefevre mav- have had quite an imucent
P^**^>h, my dear Mr. Randal, I would
never for one moment suggest anyuung •
" Then it swum liirdly wortfli white to
mnhe n point of it in public, doe) it /
When Bamlal entered .the court-room
(ho butler was giving h« evidence. It
need not bo repeated here. He.narrated
the events of tbo niuht very muuniu uiey
have been told in these payes. tte jury
was ovfdenUy impreased when he toW
V ' Z\.l n,nA r«*. find: time in
was evictcnuy jinptu™, . "i .
how the squire liflA for the firat time in
his life a«lted for tile revolver which was
kept in the plate-closet, and had declined
..S.to remove t from the
t-lie witness’s offer to remove it from the
library. But when ho was asked to mv
whether be had noticed anyth ng unusual
b his muster’s manner or,eonveimtiou
on COiristmas Evo, he was forced to say
'Ilho next witness was Dr. A .fW-HI,
evidence was • very. short. .The tro»»d
mlzht iinve been, m ins opinion, self-in
flirted, or the wearon ought have been
fired iiy a thini poison, or might have
been disdbargod by accident. ,
“ If the wound was in the left tent-ple
as vou describe.” raid Mr. Glynn, bbc
Coroner, “ it could scarcely have b^n
Bt'lf-indicicd, uule-« the deceased bad been
a left-handed man, which X believe lie wan
No doifrt that would be m ” answered
Dr. Vidal. “ if tho decrasrd were looking
fmfdbt.'forward at the time he bred,
if his iuad Happened to be turned
the remUt would bc-to promicc
i around very aimilw in direction and ap
pearance to the one
jjl. Mnrehmont, ft hale, white-ha’ired,
Ink-faced'man of wisely, wn® the next to
top forward to UUra the Book. Ho flAid
,« agreed entirely with his colleague, Drj
»{,uj except in one /point. He scarcely
bought that, even if the deceased bad
timed his bead to the rightat the moment
f firing, the wound emdd have been self*
nfiicted, supposing the revolver to have
con hold in the right hand. But he ad
mitted tlmt that woe very much a question
f opinion, and tlmt the opinion advanced
y Dr. Vidal wan not unreasonable. ,
“ You say you found a P^tol buBct in
he bend of the deceased. sand 3lr. Glynn,
joldng over his notea. It lias not been
irmluced, I think."
‘T believe^»r?*Vidal baa it,” said the
ritness, with a courteous bow in that
cntleman'a direction. “ I banded it to him,
f I remember, when I extracted it.
" Yes, and I gave it hack to you,” said
Vidal quickly, half rising from htt seat.
,, o^Iau trif>said tho older physician.
• Pardon* me/ said tho older physician,
a tone that bad lost something of its
urtesy, “ I he™ 110 remembrance of
at I could almost swear that you did
thing of the kind."
"I believe you are rigid, Dr. March
nit, if vou mean that I dfd not actually
t it into your hand- But I laid jt down
the table jbeside yon the moment after
u handed it to me. and I certainly
ought you had Jaken it up/
‘ jl dare say the bullet » there yet,
terposed the Coroner. ‘ Officer, go to
l« room the doctors were using, look for
a bullet, and bring it to me.”
i'o save time another witness was called,
d by the time the Coroner was done
th him the officer m*ho had been Kent,to
,k for the bullet had returned, saying
at he had searched the room thoroughly,
1 it was not to be found.
‘It
,-y odd,” said Mr. Olynn. “fust
’* pockets, doctor,” he said to
•. Marchmont, “You may> easily hav..
eketed «) small an object without think
5 what 'you were doing.”
the old-doctor’s <pmk face turned a
eper pink aa he complied with this aud
ition. He was annoyed to see that
was he, rather than his colleague, who
ras ae, naiw v*n»** wuwhub,
. considered responsible for the loss
the bullet. But his search proved
o unavailing. . .
Veil, 1 suppose it can t be helped,
the Coroner, twith a glance at the
, “but it is a very singular thing,
c a bullet from one of the cartridges
id in the room ami hand it to Dr.
tihmont,” he added to one of the
This seems a thicker bullet, not
eer^nerham3, but thicker and heavier,
Tt you think so V” This to Dr. Vidal,
'to whom he handed the ballet lie was
holding. ,, , ,
" 1 can’t say d Bnould have noticed any
difference,” aaid the younger doctor, at
tentively regarding the morsel of lead.
“That will do, Dr. Marehmont/’ said
the Coroner, curtly, ns lie turned to add
what Dr. Vidal had1 juwt said to his notes
o£ that gentleman'^ evidence.
(To be continued,)
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