Wyllard's Weird: A NovelBraddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth)
General
Wyllard's Weird: A Novel
Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth)
Murder -- Fiction; Mystery and detective stories
"They arrived in a fly. No; I observed no one lurking about or watching
when they arrived. I went out to give an order to the coachman while
the carriage was standing before the door, waiting to take them for
their drive in the forest; and I observed a man on the other side of
the road. I should not have noticed him, perhaps, if the collar of
his overcoat had not been turned up in a curious manner. I thought it
strange that any one should wear an overcoat on such an evening."
"Did this man appear to be watching the hotel?"
"He was standing in front of the hotel-railings when I went out. I saw
him look across at the window in which the lady and gentleman were
dining. The window was at right angles with the road, opening into a
garden. It was open, and there were two candelabra upon the table. Any
one could see into the room from the road."
"There was no blind or curtain?"
"No. The evening was particularly mild. All the windows in the
sitting-rooms were open."
"What became of this man?"
"He walked rapidly along the road, and turned the corner on to the
terrace."
"Should you recognise him if you were to see him again?"
"Impossible. It was twilight when I saw him, and he was on the other
side of the road. His coat-collar was turned up, so as to hide the
lower half of his face."
"But you must at least have observed his general appearance. Was he
tall or short? Had he the air of a gentleman?"
"He was tall. Yes, I should say he was a gentleman."
"Young or old?"
"He walked like a young man. I thought he had an agitated air. He
walked very quickly, but stopped suddenly two or three times between
the hotel and the corner of the terrace, as if he were thinking
deeply--hesitating whether to go this way or that; and then he walked
on again, faster than before."
"You saw no more of him that evening?"
"No. At half-past eight o'clock I heard that there had been a double
murder in the forest, and that the bodies were lying at the Town Hall.
I went to see the bodies, and recognised the lady and gentleman who had
dined at our hotel. I also saw the little girl, who was in the charge
of the police. She was crying bitterly. The corpses were removed to
Paris on the following evening."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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