Detective and mystery stories; English fiction -- 19th century
10. I have no doubt myself that the paper came from the waste basket.
The Baron said so. I did not actually see him take it out, but I
saw him stoop to do so. There was nothing physically impossible in
his having taken the paper from his own pocket, but I cannot see the
slightest reason for such a supposition. The only object he could
possibly have had in such an act would have been that of throwing
suspicion on Mr. Anderton, and his whole desire evidently was to
conceal the suspicions in his own mind as far as possible.
11. The Baron gave me no other grounds for supposing that he suspected
anything. On the contrary, he was continually pointing out to me the
affection of Mr. Anderton for his wife, and especially the assiduity of
his attendance in permitting no one else to administer either food or
medicine.
12. The practical effect of all this was certainly, I admit, to impress
upon my own mind the suspicious circumstances of the case more strongly
perhaps than if they had been pointed out in a directly hostile manner.
It is impossible, however, that the Baron could have reckoned upon
this, and I feel bound to add that it seems to me exceeding the limits
of legitimate inquiry to suggest anything of the kind.
3.--_Statement of Mrs Edwards._
I am a sick nurse. I was in attendance on poor Mrs. Anderton all
through her sickness. The poor lady was greatly cast down. She was
expecting her death for weeks before it came. She seemed to think there
was a doom on her. I do not think she had any suspicion that she was
being poisoned. I am sure poor dear lady, no one would ever think of
poisoning her, everybody loved her too much. Mr. Anderton was dotingly
fond of her. I never saw so good a husband in my life. I could have
done anything for him, he was so good to his poor wife. I don't think
he hardly ever left her. I used to be vexed sometimes because I said
he would not let me do anything for her. I mean he would not let me
give her her slops or her physic. She took nothing but slops the best
part of the time. She couldn't feel to relish anything at all, and meat
made her vomit. For the last two months or better I don't think she
took anything from anybody, excepting it was from Mr. Anderton himself.
He used to bring her her physic as regular as the clock struck, and
everything from the kitchen was took first into his room if he wasn't
with the mistress, and he would carry it to her himself. He used to
have rare work sometimes to get her to take anything. I am sure she
wouldn't have done it poor lady for any one but him. Not the last few
weeks. She was so very sick and ill, and everything seemed to turn upon
her stomach. Mr. Anderton always slept on a mattress in the mistress's
room so as to be within call. The mattress was put on the floor by the
side of the bed, and nobody could have got to the bed without waking
him. He was a very light sleeper. The least little sound used to wake
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