Detective and mystery stories, English; English fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, English
"I must say that the man himself did not make a good impression when
he was called in his turn. As he stepped forward with a swaggering
air, and a bold glance at coroner and jury, the interest which he
aroused was not a kindly one. He was rather a vulgar-looking
creature, with a horsey get-up, high collar, stock-tie, fancy
waistcoat, and so on. His hair was of a ginger colour, his eyes
light, and his face tanned. Every one noticed that he winked at Ann
Weber when he caught her eye, and also that the girl immediately
averted her glance and almost imperceptibly shrugged her shoulders.
Thereupon Leighton frowned and very obviously swore under his breath.
"Questioned as to his doings on the sixteenth, he admitted that 'the
guv'nor had been waxy with him, because,' as he put it with an
indifferent swagger, 'there were a few pounds missing from the till.'
He also admitted that he had not been looking forward to the
evening's interview, but that he had not dared refuse to come. In
order to kill time, and to put heart into himself, he had gone with a
couple of friends to the Café Royal in Regent Street, and they all
had whiskies and sodas till it was time for him to go to Fulton
Gardens. His friends were to wait for him until he returned, when
they intended to have supper together. Witness then went to Fulton
Gardens and saw Ann Weber, who told him that the guv'nor didn't wish
to see him. This, according to his own picturesque language, was a
little bit of all right. He stayed for a few minutes talking to Ann,
and she gave him a hot toddy. He certainly didn't think he had
stayed as long as half an hour, but then, when a fellow was talking
to a pretty girl ... eh? ... what? ...
"The coroner curtly interrupted his fatuous explanations by asking
him at what time he had left his friends, and at what time he had met
them again subsequently. Witness was not very sure; he thought he
left the Café Royal about half-past eight, but it might have been
earlier or later. He took a bus to the bottom of Fulton Gardens. It
was beastly cold and wet, and he was very grateful to Ann for giving
him a hot drink. He denied that he had been drinking too much, or
that he had demanded the hot drink. It was Ann Weber who had offered
to get it for him. Jolly pretty girl, Annie-bird, and not shy.
Witness concluded his evidence by swearing positively that he had
waited in the servants' hall all the while that Ann Weber got him the
toddy; he had followed her down, and not gone upstairs or seen
anything of Mr. Jessup all the time he was in the house. When he
left Fulton Gardens he tried to get a bus back to Regent Street, but
many of them were full and it was rather late before he got back to
the Café Royal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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