The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-08-20 00:00:00

BY THE

Author of" The Heiress of Atherstone Grange."

CHAPTER xix.
A TANGLIID WEB.

• We are not the first,
Who with best meaning have incurred the worst,
-
—SHAKESPEARE.
THERE was wonderful news for Hillford sciciety to take
with its morning coffee: the tidings of Mr. Gayford's
-tllness, which had flown from one end of the town to
rthe other, and was universally lamented. Nobody
-w...ered at it; his anxiety was no secret, and it had
d.' .tletniculminated with the tidings that had come
of:discovbries in the wood. The gossips magnified the
bit of torn cloth into Prank's body, and declared that
his mangled corpse had been found not far from Gir-
ton's hole.

Blood there certainly was on the short grass and broken
bushes about the hole, and the hoarding was declared
by the man who had put it up to have been disturbed
In the way that Barney Grubb had seen. A couple of
the boards had been taken out and put back again.
Parney had hardly arrived at the police.station when
other e vidence still more damaging came after him from
the wood. A stick that nearly everyone who knew him
could swear to had been picked up close to the spot
where there were the signs of a souffle, and the oddly.
carved knob of it was covered with something that
the doctors declared to be dried blood.
Barney comported himself very quietly; he showed
no bravado, nor any want of respect for the gentle-
man before he was brought. Be simply denied
having been anywhere near the place on that parti-
cular night.
'I can prove that I was not in this part of the
country at all, if it is necessary,' he said composedly.
Phil Donovan knows that I was not.'

_ ..
'Phil Donovan swears that you were,' the magis-
trate said gravely. He was vexed to see Barney
there, for he had been one of his staunchest friends,
and always declared that whatever appearances might
be, Barney was an honest andtruthful fellow. Accord
lug to his enemies, now he was neither, and a mur
derer to boot. _ _ .

'Donovan either lies or has blundered somehow,
Barney replied; and he neither blenched nor wavered •
in his statement when he was confronted with Jack's
father, and heard from his own lips that he had seen
him in the wood.

He told me so before,' he said, when he had heard
Ponovan's evidence, and I told him then he was
mistaken. If he saw anyone it was not me.'
Donovan kept to his assertion, and Barney's denial
went for nothing. He admitted that the stick was his,
but said he had not seen it for some days before this
mystery. He also admitted that the description of
the dress was correct; indeed, Donovan in describing
the dress of the man he had seen and spoken to in
the wood, gave a word-picture of Barney as he always
appeared—as he appeared at that moment before
them.
Confronted with Ragged Jack, Barney Grubb still
preserved the same stolidity. He looked at the boy
keenly, and Mr. Jarvis, who had just arrived, thought
be detected a glance of intelligence pass between the
two; it was momentary, but he felt certain it meant
something, and he resolved to get at the truth in some
way. Barney did not deny that Jack had had money
from him, and it might have been some that he him-
self had received from Mr. Hatherleigh.
The young gentleman paid me money more than
once, and for more than one thing,' he said quietly.
'But I don't remember any marked shilling amongst
it. The last he gave me he pulled loose out of his
pocket and gave me silver and copper altogether, and
I gave the lad some the very same evening in the twi-
light—two shillings and some coppers, I didn't notice
It very particularly; the knife Mr. Hatherleigh left
at my place. Jack had no business to meddle with it.'
Truth and a lie mixed up together,'Mr. Jarvis said
to himself as he listened to Barney's story; part of
that was lies, and he is clumsy at telling them. I
must have a talk with Barney Grubb.'
He was right. It was true that Frank had given
him money, and very lately, in the careless fashion he
spoke of. He had asked him to make some of the
pretty rustic baskets he was so clever at, and had
pulled some loose money out of his pocket and handed
it to Barney, who had taken it under protest, as it was
not counted.
It's not a fortune, man,' Frank had replied, and
Barney had counted it—five and sixpence in all
silver and copper; but there had been no marked
shilling amongst it, nor had he ever heard of that
coin till he was brought face to face with Jack. But
the boy had been brought very close by him as he
was conducted into the office, and he had whispered
a word as be passed, besides the look that he flung at
the prisoner.
Everything looked very black for Barney. His stick
was a terrible piece of evidence against him, and the
conclusion most people came to was that he and Frank
had fallen out about something, and that he had
struck him down in anger, and then found he had
gone too far to do anything but finish his work This
theory did not accord with the evident plan displayed
in his pretending to go away, and then slinking back
to commit the murder; it was more than anyone
could understand, and the result of the enquiry was
a remand for the production of further evidence.
There was nothing against Jack, and be was
allowed to go—a privilege of which he instantly
availed himself, and darted off before anyone could
lay a hand on him. Mr. Jarvis said a word before
Barney was removed in the prisoner's favour. He had
watched the proceedings with great interest, and was
looked upon with much curiosity in Hillford, as being
the nearest friend of the murdered man, and the
guardian of the young lady to whom he was to have
been married. Helen's secret and poor Madde's grief
had not leaked out yet; that would be something else
for the gossips when it became known, if ever it did.
'I am here on the part of my ward, Miss Ramsay,'
the lawyer said. 'She requested me to say that Mr.
Hatherleigh and the prisoner were on very friendly
terms considering the difference in their stations in
life; and Mr. Hatherleigh had a very good opinionof
Barney Grubb, and that she herself can testify to his
having gone away from Hilford at the time he stated
he went.'
'Miss Ramsay is very kind and generous,' the
magistrate said. But there is no evidence to show
that the prisoner did not come back.again, and unfor-
tunately, plenty that he did.'
It will all come right, sir,' the ferryman said, speak-
ing for the first time with a break in his voice and a
quiver on his lips. If I may say so much, will you
thank the young lady for me, and tell her that I said
" God bless her,' for thinking of me when her own
troubles must be so great.'
'I will tell her what you say, Barney,' the lawyer
said kindly—very kindly, the police and hangers-about
thought. They looked upon the prisoner as something
almost too bad to breathe the same air with people
whose hands were not blood-stained, and they greeted
Barney with a howl when he was brought back to his
cell again.
Mr. Jarvis had no difficulty in obtaining permission
to see the ferryman after his committal, and he was
permitted to speak with him alone. He looked at the
man with much curiosity as he entered the cell;
Barney was sitting listlessly with his head on his hand,
. and the light shining full on his features. It was not a
guilty face, the lawyer said to himself, as he looked at
the man. It was troubled and thoughtful—puzzled,
too, as if the busy mind were at work solving some
problem; but there was neither guilt nor fear. A
handsome face when in repose was Barney Grubb'p,
and Mr. Jarvis had time to mark it. A frown passed
over his face as the door opened, and he lifted his bead
as though he did not care to be disturbed.
I have come for a talk with you, Barney,' the
lawyer said, as the prisoner rose on seeing who his
visitor was.
Thank you' sir. I don't know that talking can help
me much,' was the quiet reply.
' Perhaps not; but two heads are better than one.
Who are you shielding, Barney. You did not kill my
poor boy?'
The question was so sudden, and the avowal of the
belief in his innocence so abrupt, that Barney was
taken aback.
You are right there,' he said. didn't.'
' But you know something about it?'
As Heaven hears me, I don't, sir,' Barney
exclaimed. • I told the simple truth when I said I
was not here; I was miles away. I didn't come back
till last night.'
You can bring sufficient proof of this?

• I can, sir.'
. • Then why not do It?
Because I would rather do anything, sir, than
bring those I could ask to speak for me. I :have
thought in the few hours that have gone by since I
was accused, and I think almost I would rather be
banged.'
' Oh, no, you wouldn't,' Mr. Jarvis said quietly,
• Life is sweet to us all, Barney. Do you suspect any

one 7'
'No.'
The word did not come so promptly as it might
have done, and the lawyer did not fail to notice the
fact. That Barney did suspect some one or at any
rate think of some one who might be the guilty man,
he felt sure.
'The circumstantial evidence is strong against you,
he said. You must free yourself, or-'
'Or be hanged,' Barney said with a grim smile. 'I
have looked the probability in the face, sir, and I
don't know but it would be a good thing for the rest
of the world; it wouldn't matter much.'
'Not to your mother, Barney?'
She wouldn't know it, sir. Barney Grubb is
nothing to her.'
Maybe not; but it would leak out sometime who
Barney Grubb might be, and the shock would be
worse than the full knowledge would have been. If
you won't try to save yours if, I must take your case
in hand and see what can be done. You have no
lawyer, I suppose ?'
I don't look very much like a man who can
employ a lawyer, do I, sir?' Barney said, with a grim
smile. I don't like the breed as a rule; no offence
to you, sir, in that.'
'Oh, none; you are not singular in that,' Mr. Jarvis
said. I was in hopes you would have helped me to
clear the matter up. It must be cleared, or it will go
hard with you.'
, They know Mr. Hatherleigh is dead, I suppose?'
! Barney spoke quietly and without any agitation at
all. He had the conAdent sir of a an secure in his
own innocence, and able to discuss his position: with
perfect calmness. -
There is no doubt.' Mr. Urvis replied. The