The Washington times., 1920-05-23
CHAPTER XII.
TIE corensvs iW@usse.

TIE corsssv's IS@~sst.
@Y the time that the sergeant
Is had concluded his interview
- with Heasden the small con-
xrsgation were beginning to ME
into the village church He stood
aside. very unobtrusive nsure.
ana watched them. and when all
had zone IN and he had ascertained
that DR.. Pratt was not OF their
number. he went to the doctors
house and asked whether he could
be seen. But DR.. Pratt was out on
his rounds in his car and the maid
did not expect him back until after
luncheon.
Twice in the course Of the after.
moon the detective repeated his
call, but still without success. As
a matter Of fact, the doctor was
engaged most OF the time in facili'
tatins the entry into the world OF
a new piece Of humanity which Is
often. as It seems. An even more
troublesome business than usher.
ing an old one out Of II. and the
e,,Seonence was that the sergeant
cot able to see him until the
,st. which was held on the
10y evening.
suppose there is good reason
(, .ae laws decree that the body
which the inquest has to be held
It be personally inspected. but
|. vas an added horror to our pain
II. case that on that Monday the
house must needs be invaded by
the coroner and his Jury. tramping
I'D the stairs and Into my aunt's
bedroom to see her poor mortal re-
mains laid out for them. BY how
much they can have been the wiser
for the look II Is difficult to say.
but understand that even In this
some concession was made to
Uncle Ralph's feelings. for the &C
tual inquiry and examination Of
witnesses was not held at the
house itself, as II might have been,
but at the White Hart In the VII
1age.
SO thither the twelve good men
and true, all of whom we're old
friends Of ours in the village. went
back in a lugubrious procession.
headed by the coroner as their
leader, and thither we of the house
hold, who had been summoned as
witnesses, followed after.
I cannot describe what my own
feelings were as I made one Of that
melancholy cortege. dreaded be-
yond everything the strain which
this business Of the inquest must
impose on Uncle Ralph. II was ter
rible for him and could not think
how he was going to endure It.
And then, at the back of that. when,
ever my thoughts went In his direc-
ton, and that was exceedingly
often, there was that haunting sus-
picion.
walked along in such q wnirl
and turmoil of feeling that II was
impossible to analyze It, and I ar.
rived at the White Hart with my
brain. almost in a state Of numb
ness.
saw Sergeant Crisp. who took
OF his hat to me, at the door as
we went in. and really regarded
the little man as a staunch friend
in need because knew him to be
as self:possessed and just as much
master OF the situation as the cor
oner himself. whereas all the rest
OF us were rather like new boys at
school. helplessly perplexed and
not knowing what to do or what
to say.
81 cannot think" said to him.
"what they want me as wit 'ess
7 have nothing to tell them
[ others can't"
gave me one Of his keen
J and thea said, kindly, VERY
" YOU won't be called, but you
ne wanted to confirm other
30 or clear ub a point"
"ptse there was a very great
" far the larger mass-of
ierce vi"en before the cor
18th which there Ii no need
! lbl. the reader of this story,
hyone ever does read It. be-
use its purport has all been told
a eady in the foregoing pages. !
presume the coroner. In conjunc-
tion with his clerk, as I suppose his
coadtltor to have been, had ar.
ra~ gsd beforehand the order In
which the witnesses should be
called.
He began with Livesay, who told
all about how he found the body.
"How had he happened to be In
the shrubberyr he was asked: and
that led to his account Of lying In