England -- Fiction; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction; Mystery and detective stories
The second witness was Dora Carew, who stated that she had retired as
usual on the previous night at half-past nine, leaving Mr. Edermont to
lock up. Her guardian usually locked the door which closed the passage
on the first-floor leading to her bedroom. On this night he did not do
so, although she was not aware of the fact until summoned by Meg the
next morning. During the night she was awakened by a cry--as it seemed
to her, an appeal for mercy. She listened, but could hear nothing
further, and, thinking she had been dreaming, she had lain down and
gone to sleep again. When she awoke in the morning she was called by
Meg to see the dead body. She was aware that Mr. Edermont considered
himself a threatened man, but she had no knowledge of the person or
persons whom he feared. In reply to a question, this witness stated
that she heard the cry immediately before the clock in the hall struck
"one." She believed that the murder had been committed at that time.
The third witness was Lambert Joad, who gave his evidence as follows:
He was accustomed to leave the Red House at nine o'clock every night
for his cottage, which was on the other side of the road. On the night
of the murder he left as usual, and heard the gate locked behind him.
He went to his cottage, and took his supper and read. Later on he was
joined by Mr. Pride, a tutor in a local private school, who was, like
himself, a classical scholar. Pride talked with him till after two
o'clock in the morning, when he went away. The witness was up at seven
to take a walk before breakfast, as was his custom. In crossing the
fields he noticed that the postern door was open. Astonished at this,
and knowing that Mr. Edermont was particular about keeping the door
closed, he went across to see what was the matter. On entering through
the postern gate he went to the house. To gain the front-door he had
to follow the path between laurel hedges, which passed by the glass
door of the disused drawing-room, off the study. He saw that this door
had no shutters up on the glass, as was customary, and was standing
wide open. He uttered an exclamation of surprise, which brought Miss
Carew into the drawing-room. She called him in, and he saw the dead
body and the smashed desk. He was not aware that Mr. Edermont had
enemies. The witness believed that Edermont's fancy of being
threatened with a violent death was monomania. He recognised the
revolver as the property of the deceased.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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