A Coin of Edward VII: A Detective StoryHume, Fergus
Philosophy
A Coin of Edward VII: A Detective Story
Hume, Fergus
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
All through the long night Mrs. Morley watched by the dead. She had
placed candles on either side of the bed, and laid a cross on the poor
child's breast. Drake was quite shocked when he saw this Papistical
arrangement. But it afterwards came out that Mrs. Morley had been
educated in a convent, and had imbibed certain notions of the Romish
ritual for the dead that, her memory reviving, made her act thus, in
spite of her openly confessed belief in the communion of the English
Church. While she was thus sitting and weeping, Morley looked in. He was
wild and haggard, but in his eyes glared a triumphant expression which
terrified his wife. She did not dare to move. He crossed the room, and
looked at the body. "You shall be avenged, my dear," he said solemnly,
and before Mrs. Morley could recover from her surprise and denounce this
ill-chosen moment for a visit, he wheeled round and disappeared.
He did not retire either, no more did the servants, who were collected
in the kitchen steadying their nerves with tea. So it happened that when
Giles, weary, wet, and worn, rode up to the door in the morning on a
jaded beast, he was met by Morley.
"Have you caught her?" asked the man.
Giles dismounted and threw the reins to a groom. "No. Trim went one way
and I another. Where he is I don't know, but my horse gave in, and I
returned." He entered the house. "Where is the body?" he asked.
"Up in the room it occupied during life," said Morley; "but come into
the library, I have something to show you."
Ware followed and sank wearily into a chair. He could scarcely keep his
eyes open. Nevertheless he started up wide awake when his host spoke.
"Miss Denham killed Daisy," said Morley. "She took a stiletto from the
wall yonder, and here it is." He produced it with a dramatic wave.
"Where did you find it?"
"Beside the grave--on the spot of the murder."
CHAPTER VI
THE CASE AGAINST ANNE
The contradictory qualities of Mrs. Parry's nature came out strongly in
connection with the Rickwell tragedy. When Miss Denham was prosperous
the old woman had nothing but bad to say of her, now that she was a
fugitive and generally credited with a crime, Mrs. Parry stood up for
her stoutly. She made herself acquainted with all details, and delivered
her verdict to Mrs. Morley, on whom she called for the express purpose
of giving her opinion.
"I never liked the woman," she said impressively, "she was artful and
frivolous; and to gain admiration behaved in a brazen way of which I
thoroughly disapproved. All the same, I do not believe she killed the
girl."
"But the evidence is strongly against her," expostulated Mrs. Morley.
"And how many people have been hanged on evidence which has afterwards
been proved incorrect?" retorted Mrs. Parry. "I don't care how certain
they are of her guilt. In my opinion she is an innocent woman. I am glad
she has escaped."
"I am not sorry myself," sighed the other. "I was fond of Anne, for she
had many good points. But Mr. Steel says----"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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