"And you swear that the body of the murdered man whom you saw in the mortuary chamber this morning is that of your son?" "I swear to that, sir." I believe that had coroner and jury and practically every man there present, dared to put their thoughts into words at that moment, the ejaculation: "Well! I am blowed!" or "I'm d----d!" as the case might be--would have been generally heard throughout the room. The women, on the other hand, were far too excited even to think. "Now," resumed the coroner, "tell the jury please when you first identified the deceased as your son?" "This morning, sir." "In the mortuary chamber?" "Yes, sir." "You had not seen the body before?" "No, sir." "Did you know that other witnesses have sworn that the body is that of a gentleman called Philip de Mountford?" "Yes, sir. I knew that." "Then do you mean to assert that those other witnesses have sworn false oaths?" "Oh, no, sir," rejoined James Baker with an apologetic smile of self-deprecation, "I wouldn't say such a thing, sir." "Well, then?" "They was mistaken, sir, that's all. Paul was that clever, sir; ask 'is mother there." And once more the lean and grimy finger pointed to the seedy-looking matron who nodded a melancholy head, half in pride, half in regret. "Clever, did you say?" asked the coroner, more briskly now. At last he held a thread in this extraordinary tangled skein. "Then do you mean to assert that your son--Paul Baker--went about the world calling himself Philip de Mountford?" "That must 'ave been it, sir, I think." "Deceiving people?" "Aye! 'e was ever a bit o' no good." "You think he imposed upon his lordship, the Earl of Radclyffe?" "'E must 'ave done, sir, mustn't 'e now? seein' as 'ow 'is lordship must 'ave been took in." "You helped him in the deception, I suppose?" "Me, sir? Lor' bless ye no! Me an' 'is mother ain't clever enough for such things! We knew nothin' of Paul's doin's, and 'e allus went 'is own way, sir." "But at least you knew that this fraud was going on?" "Not exactly, sir." "How do you mean 'not exactly?'" retorted the coroner sharply. "You seem to be unconscious of the fact that this story which you are telling the jury is a very serious matter indeed. If it is true, you are not only making a grave accusation against your dead son, but with this accusation you may be involving yourself or some other member of your family in an exceedingly serious charge of fraud, the penalty for which if proved would be very severe indeed. On the other hand if the story you tell is nothing but a cock-and-bull tale, which further evidence would presently demolish, then you lay yourself open to a charge of perjury and of conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice. I have thought best to give you this word of warning--the last which you will get from me--because really you do not seem to be fully conscious of the extreme gravity of your position."