Boardinghouses -- Fiction; England -- Fiction; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction; Mystery fiction
For the next nine days they had many such talks, and kept themselves
well informed of the progress which the case was making so far as they
could learn in print. Of course, the girl at the Bull Inn _did_ tell
the police about the interview in the tap-room, and of course great
capital was made out of this. But as Owain had suspected, the girl
being inobservant, and not having seen him very clearly in the smoky
dimly-lighted atmosphere, gave a most incoherent account of his
appearance. All she could say was that the questioner was a
rough-looking tramp with a bushy black beard, who spoke civilly
enough, but who was not a gentleman. Vane chuckled when he read this
unflattering description, which was sufficiently wrong and vague to
preserve Hench from suspicions. And, indeed, if the girl had been
confronted with Hench she would never have recognized in this handsome
clean-shaven young gentleman, fashionably dressed, the rough tramp who
had drank his beer in the tap-room. It was Vane who made Owain dress
fashionably, so as to make him look as unlike his old bearded self as
possible. He took him to his tailor, to his haberdasher, to his
bootmaker, and to various other tradesmen, with the result that
Owain's new wardrobe did full justice to his handsome looks. Hench,
being of the pioneering legion, rather kicked against being thus
civilized, but he recognized that Vane was right to insist upon the
transformation.
Whatever Madame Alpenny might have thought she did not put her
thoughts into action, for nothing appeared in the papers likely to
show that Hench was suspected by the police. The inquest on Squire
Madoc Evans' body was duly held, and the verdict was brought in of
"Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown," although every
one was pretty certain that the shabby tramp who had inquired the way
to the Gipsy Stile was the culprit. But he had vanished, and--thanks
to Madame Alpenny's silence--no word came to the police suggesting his
identity with Owain Hench. The funeral took place in due time, and it
gave Owain a thrill when he read that the body had been taken to
Rhaiadr in Wales for burial. It was said that Evans came from that
place, and that all his ancestors were buried there. Incidentally, it
was mentioned that the dead man had left a daughter who inherited
Cookley Grange, and by her father's death became the Lady of the
Manor.
"I think it's all right now," said Vane when matters reached this
pitch. "After the nine days' wonder the excitement will gradually die
away. And, by Jupiter!" cried the barrister, "it is exactly nine days.
Owain, old son, this is your birthday. Off with you and call on
Gilberry & Gilberry."
"Won't you come also, Jim?"
"No, I won't. You can't get into trouble in a respectable legal
office, and you are so changed that no one is likely to spot you as
the man who is wanted for Squire Madoc Evans' death."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account