Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1912-01-12
CHAPTER XIX.

"HIS was a direct blow M my /
self and of course called Mr.. |
Fox to his feet with mo-
ton TO strike out this an |
swer. An alteration followed be- |
tween him and Mr.. Motfat. which.
deeply as it involved my life and repu-
tation, failed to impress me. as 1t
might Otherwise have done II my
whole mind had not been engaged In
reconciling the difficulty about this
ring with what knew of Carmel and
the probability which existed OF her
having been responsible for its re-
moval from her sisters hand But
Carmel had been Ill since. desperately
Ill and unconscious. She could have
had nothing to do with its disposal
afterward among the flowers at her
sisters funeral. Nor had she been In
a condition to delegate this act Of con-
cealment to another Who, then, had
been the Intermediary In this bust
ness?
The point raised by the district at
torney having been ruled upon and
made no effort to carry his inquiries
any further in the direction indicated,
but could see, with all my inexperi-
ence of the law and the ways Of at
torneys before a jury, that the episode
had produced its inevitable result and
that my position as man released
from suspicion had received shock.
A moments pause followed, during
which some Of Mr.. Moffats nervous
ness returned. Then he asked:
"Mr. Cumberland. to return to the
night of your sisters death, can you
tell us what overcoat you put on when
leaving your house,"
Arthur was as astonished and GER
tainly as Disconnected IL not as seri-
ously alarmed as was by this extraor-
binary move.
81 cannot l took down the first
saw and the first hat"
"Took down? Took down from
where?"
"From the rack in the hall where
/ hang my things, the side hall lead
ing to the door where we usually
go out"
"Have you many coats-overcoats.
] meanT
"More than one"
"And you do not know which one
you put on on that cold night"
81 do not"
But you know what one you wore
backT
"No"
"You do not know what one you
wore backT
81 do not"
"You have seen the hat and coat
which have been shown here and
sworn to as being the ones in which
you appeared on your return to the
house the day following your sisters
murder"
II have"
"Also the hat and coat found on
a remote hook in the closet under the
stairs, bearing the -four mark on its
under brlm?"
Eyes, that too"
"Yet cannot say which Of these two
overcoats you put on when you left
your home, an hour or so after finish
ing your dinnerW
Trapped by his own lawyer-visibly
and remorselessly trapped! The blood
shooting suddenly into the astounded
prisoners face, was reflected on the
cheeks of the other lawyers present.
Even Mr.. Fox betrayed his surprise.
but it was surprise not untinged by
apprehension. Mr.. Moffat must feel
very sure of himself to venture thus
far.
81 cannot. I was in no condition to
notice. was bent on going into town
and Immediately upon coming down
stairs went straight to the rack and
pulled Oh the first things that Of.
fered"
1t appeared to be q perfect give
away. And it was, but 1t was a give
away which, l feared, threatened Car
mel rather than her brother.
"Mr. Cumberland, were coat and
hat all that you took from the hall?"
"No; / took a key--a key from the
bunch which saw lying on the table"
"What key was itT
at belonged to Mr.. Ranelagh and
was the key to the clubhouse wine
vault"
"Where did you put it after taking
it upW
I'm my trousers pocket"
"What did you do thenT
"Went out, of course"
without seeing anybodyT
"Of course. Whom should l seeT
1t was angrily said, and the flush,
which had begun to die away, slowly
made its way back into his cheeks.
"Are you willing to repeat that you
saw no oneP'
There was no one"
A lie. All knew it, all felt it, The
man was perjuring himself under his
own counsel's persistent questioning
on point which that counsel had evi
IDENTITY been warned by him to avoid
was assured of this by the way Moi
fat failed to meet Arthur's eye as b,
pressed on hastily and in a way t,
forestall all opposition.
There are two ways of lea wing you
house for the city. Which way di'
you takeT
1.-THE shortest. went through m,
neighbours grounds to Huested street.
immediately"