thinks, were probably inflicted by the hand, certainly not by any weapon. There were no wounds from which the blood could have flowed; there was a slight discolouration of the neck under the cravat, as though the assassin had attempted to strangle his victim, but Chenoweth has very little doubt that the excitement of the struggle brought on an access of the heart disease, under which our poor friend was gradually sinking, and that in fact he died a natural death."

"Good heavens!" cried Cleethorpe, springing to an upright position from his chair. "If the doctor proves this on the trial this scoundrel will cheat the gallows!" Mr. Drage looked up at his companion for a moment, then said, "I think you will find that the man who made the attack upon Sir Geoffry will still by the law be held liable for his death, even. though Doctor Chenoweth's opinions were verified."

"How on earth do you know anything about the law ?" asked Cleethorpe.

"In a strange way," said the rector. “When I first left college my father was strongly opposed to my taking orders, and when I insisted, vowed he would do nothing for me, so I was left to my own resources; and, by the aid of some old City friends, I obtained the chaplaincy of one of the jails, which I held for some time, and where I studied the intricacies and working of the criminal law. A case of this kind came under my notice. A poacher shot a gamekeeper, against whom he had been heard to vow vengeance. It was contended for the defence that the wound was not originally mortal, but that death had been brought about by the bungling manner in which the surgical operation had been performed. At the trial, the judge ruled that even if this were the case, the prisoner was guilty of murder, as it was in consequence of his act that a surgical operation was necessary. And the man was hanged!"

"A good precedent," said Cleethorpe, shortly. "I hope it will be followed in this instance !"

"Do you really believe that this young man attacked his father ?"

were now speaking, ought to have rendered it evident to you that such an idea, if not an absurdity in itself, is, at all events, little likely to obtain credence. People very seldom find themselves on the 'spot' where a murder has been committed without some previous intention of being there. Besides, it is not supposed that the attack was made with a view to robbery; and who is there in this place, or in Europe, I might almost say, who bore any malice against our poor old friend ?”

"But the accused man is his own son," said the rector. "His only son."

In a

"Exactly," said Cleethorpe," and that's just the worst part of the story. I suppose you don't know any of the circumstances of the case, but I am well posted up in them. This young fellow, some years since, was in the Cheddar yeomanry, in which I still hold a commission. row, at which I happened to be present, he showed the white feather, and the colonel was compelled to ask his father to remove him. Sir Geoffry gave way to his temper, which at that time was much worse than it has been since you have known him, and, after a frightful scene with his son, told the lad to consider himself dismissed and disinherited. I believe they never met again until the wretched night.'

"Yes," said the rector, "there has been another meeting between them, which Sir Geoffry himself described to me. The young man came down here some weeks ago with certain testimony, which, at his outset in life he had declared he would obtain. He made his way in the dusk to the library, where Sir Geoffry saw him, and, after a very stormy interview, ordered him from the house."

"Now, my dear rector," said Captain Cleethorpe, impetuously, "can anything look worse for this young man? On the last occasion of his visit, you say, he made his way in the dusk to the library-exactly what he did to-night! What occasion was there for him to endeavour to see his father again, unless he were prompted by a spirit of revenge, and acted on malice prepense. Besides, there are two other points which I have not yet spoken about, but which I will now lay before you. In the first place, this fellow was lurking about here this morning in a sly, underhanded manner. I know that, for horse shied at him, and as soon as he recognised me, he pulled his hat over his face and made off as fast as he could. And in the second place, when I mentioned the fact of my having seen him to Mrs. Picker

my

ing-ah, you may well sigh, I am afraid this will be an awful blow to that poor dear woman-when I told Mrs. Pickering, whom Sir Geoffry had, I believe, admitted into his fullest confidence, that I had seen this youth, she seemed very much agitated, and implored me to ride back as hard as I could, and induce the young man to go away. The words which she used struck me very much at the time, and I recollect them perfectly. It is all-important that a meeting between them should he prevented,' she said, showing plainly that she anticipated and wished to prevent a collision." "She will be able to tell us what she meant and what were her reasons for being thus urgent with you in a very short time now, I hope," said Mr. Drage.

"I am not quite so clear about that," said Cleethorpe. "She must have fallen with terrific force, and Chenoweth is as yet by no means certain that there is not concussion of the brain. What chance can have taken her there just at that moment? I am most anxious to hear her account of all she saw. My own impression is that she must have come suddenly upon the scene, and fainting away with horror, struck her head against the corner of the window as she fell."

At this moment the butler opened the door and announced Mr. Drew.

Mr. Drew was the senior partner of a firm of solicitors in large practice at Springside, agents to the principal landed proprietors resident in the neighbourhood, and, as representing the English interest of the leading members of the Indian colony there located, correspondents of many legal practitioners in India, to whose interests a clerk was specially relegated. With criminal business Mr. Drew's firm had little or nothing to do; prosecutions for trespass, poaching, encroachments on right of way, and such like simple matters, they undertook as part and parcel of their land-agent practice, but all heavier cases they declined. In the present instance, however, Mr. Drew, having been sent for by the rector, who knew him to have been occasionally employed by Sir Geoffry, made a point of attending in person, the London solicitors for whom Messrs. Drew and Dean acted as agents having specially requested that every attention might be paid to him; and the facts of the case, so far as Mr. Drew could collect them from several distinct and opposing narrations, promising to afford a certain amount of wholesome civil as well as criminal litigation.

Mr. Drew was a tall, white-haired, redfaced old gentleman, of portly presence and pleasing manners. One of his sons was in excellent practice at the parliamentary bar, and the other was a minor canon of Avonmouth Cathedral. His daughter was married to the eldest son of a baronet, and he himself was in receipt of an excellent income, so that he thought himself justified in classing himself with the county aristocracy, and spoke accordingly. The little pomposity noticeable in him in general society was, however, always mitigated when he found himself in company with Captain Cleethorpe, whose sharp caustic hints he was accustomed to speak of as "the language of the barracks."

"This is a sad affair, Mr. Drage," said the lawyer, after the first greeting had been exchanged, "very sad indeed! A great loss to the county society, poor Sir Geoffry, man of military celebrity, and all that kind of thing. And what a dreadful weapon to place in the hands of the lower orders."

"Weapon! lower orders! What do you mean, Mr. Drew?

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Mean, my dear sir. Don't you see that in the desperate Radical times in which we live anything which gives the lower orders a chance of turning round upon their superiors is eagerly seized by them. There is not a Sunday paper throughout the kingdom that will not put forth flaming placards, Murder of a baronet by his son.' Our poor friend was not a baronet, but they don't know the difference, and would not mind if they did, as it makes such a good line in the bills."

"That Sir Geoffry Heriot is dead, is unfortunately too true," said Mr. Drage, but it has yet to be proved that he was murdered; and when that has been proved, comes the question, by whom?"

"Quite right, my dear sir, right in every particular. Doctor Chenoweth stopped me as I was driving out here, and told me there was some doubt as to the cause of death. But I explained to him the law on that point, which holds that exactly-you know. Well then comes the question of identity; this young man was seized in the room, actually bending over the body. I looked in at the Guildhall as I passed, and the superintendent told me that his shirtfront and hands were stained with blood. What do we want more? Motive! That, oddly enough, I think we shall be able to prove!"

"You don't mean to say that Sir Geoffry

"I really don't see why he should not have done so," retorted the old gentleman. "The private affairs of some of the oldest and noblest families in this country, sir, are in my keeping; and I have never heard any one accuse me of betrayal of confidence. However, as it happens on this occasion, the information I received was not from Sir Geoffry; indeed, it has only just come to my knowledge. This is not the first visit this young man has paid to his father since Sir Geoffry has resided at Springside." "How on earth did you learn that ?" said Captain Cleethorpe.

"In a perfectly proper and legitimate manner you may be sure," said Mr. Drew, his red face redder than ever with excite

ment.

"No one questions that for a moment, my dear sir, said the Rector, quietly, "but it seems odd that you should be aware of a circumstance which is not known in the household."

"Pardon me," said Mr. Drew, "it is known in the household; to two members of it at least. The fact is, my coachman is keeping company, as the lower orders call it, with a girl who is housemaid here. The coachman happened to be in town when the news of the murder arrived, and ran up here with all the rest of the people. Here he saw the girl, who reminded him that some weeks since she had told him, as she was one day passing through the passage, she had heard a loud contention of voices; the one being Sir Geoffry's, the other being that of a stranger in the library, during which the bell was rung violently; that she lingered to see the result, and finally saw Sir Geoffry's body-servant, Murphy, or some Irish name, which I cannot exactly recollect, show a young man to the door; that same young man she said she had just seen accused of the murder and taken away into custody."

That, left uncontradicted, would be an important piece of evidence," said Mr. Drage.

"My dear sir-my dear sir," interrupted Mr. Drew, "you can say all this to me, because I know your excellence of heart, and all that sort of thing; but if you were to talk in this way to Messrs. Moss and Moss, of Thavies Inn, London, whom I shall instruct to get up the case, they would laugh in your face! The idea of talking about proving our poor dear friend's intention. Facts, my dear sir, are what will go down in a case like this-facts, and nothing else!"

"Then you are not going to get up this case yourself, Mr. Drew ?" asked the captain.

"No, I am not, Captain Cleethorpe," said the old lawyer. "I have had little or no practice, I am happy to say, in criminal business, and as this is a most important case, I shall instruct Messrs. Moss, who are certainly at the head of that branch of the profession. I telegraphed to them just now, and shall expect one of the partners down by the first train to-morrow morning. He will require to see all the witnesses, and this man Murphy, of whom we have just spoken."

"You mean Riley, Mr. Drew."

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Very likely, Captain Cleethorpe. I am not expected to remember the names of the servants of all my clients. However, Mr. Moss will require to see him, and above all Mrs. Pickering."

"I am sorry to say that Mrs. Pickering still remains in a state of unconsciousness, said Mr. Drage.

"That's bad," said the lawyer; "let us hope she will be better in the morning. I am very curious to hear what she has to say in this matter. Now, gentlemen, goodnight. Mr. Moss will come straight to my office, and I will bring him up here at once.

Mr. Drew shook hands with the rector, bowed to Captain Cleethorpe, and took his departure. The other gentlemen were about to follow, when the butler presented himself and said, "That the young woman who had been sitting up with Mrs. Pickering had come to say that the lady had just opened her eyes and mentioned Mr. Drage's name, and hearing that he was in the house, she expressed a wish to see him im

"I will come at once," said Mr. Drage, then muttered to himself, "Now I shall learn the truth in this horrible affair!"

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