The Heart of a MysterySpeight, T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson)
General
The Heart of a Mystery
Speight, T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson)
English fiction -- 19th century; Mystery and detective stories
The knife now put into his hands was sold by him on a certain day in
August last. He knew it by a private mark, which he put on all goods
out of the common way sold by him. Had no means of telling the exact
date when he sold the knife, but knew it was in August, because his
little girl, who had just recovered from the measles, was running
about the shop at the time. The knife was called an "American knife,"
but was in reality of Sheffield manufacture. It was made of the best
steel, had one blade six inches in length, and opened with a spring.
The purchaser of it was a gentleman about fifty years old, who carried
a small black leather bag, of which he seemed to take especial care.
Being pressed to describe more particularly the appearance of the
gentleman, witness said that, to the best of his recollection, he wore
a black tail-coat and waistcoat, and a high, old-fashioned collar. He
had no beard and not much whisker, and was very "respectable-looking."
Being asked to look round the room, and see whether anyone among those
present bore any resemblance to the person who bought the knife,
witness rubbed his hands nervously together, and then turned and
fronted the sixty or seventy faces grouped at the other end of the
room.
By the time witness had reached this point the eyes of every spectator
and juryman had shifted from his face to the face of John Brancker.
Mr. Avison and John were sitting on one side of the room between the
crowd of ordinary onlookers and the Coroner, and facing the jury.
As Walter Brill went on to describe the appearance of the man who
bought the knife, John felt his color change in spite of himself. He
was a shy, nervous man at the best of times, and totally unfitted to
go through such an ordeal as the present one. He could feel, rather
than see, that the eyes of all present were bent upon him. He turned
first red and then white, and his lower lip began to quiver, as it had
a trick of doing in moments of excitement or agitation. Mr. Mace
favored his colleague from Scotland Yard with a nod that was
perceptible to him alone. Almost unconsciously Mr. Avison moved his
chair a few inches further away. John noticed the action, and his
heart swelled within him.
The cause of all this was the strangely accurate description given by
Brill of the man who had purchased the knife. John Brancker was
verging towards middle-age. He went to London three or four times a
month, on which occasions he took with him a small black leather bag.
A black tail-coat and a high stiff collar formed part of his customary
attire. He was clean-shaven, except for two short side-whiskers which
began to show signs of grey; while no one could dispute the fact that
he was a very staid and respectable-looking man.
The eyes of Brill roved with a sort of vague inquisitiveness from face
to face, but no light of recognition came into them. He shook his head
slowly and turned to the Coroner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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