Dead Men's Money

nough by sight. He was a vicar of a lonely parish away up in the hills-a tall, thin, student-looking man that you might occasionally see in the Berwick streets, walking very fast wit

ked very nervous and shy as he stood up between

Didn't I tell you there'd be revelations about Gilverthwaite, Hugh, my

per legal fashion as to who he was, and so on, the coroner put a plain inquiry to him. "Mr. Ridley, you have had some re

cently-yes," answ

t they were," said the coroner. "An

d if he could see our registers, offering to pay whatever fee was charged. I allowed him to look at the registers, but I soon discovered that his interest was confined to a particular period. The fact was, he wished to examine the various entr

paused, glancing

I can tell," he said. "He only

the coroner with a smile. "A question or two, now. What particula

dates I have mentioned

Ri

e was searching for s

nly did t

t?" asked the coroner,

r make a note of it, and he did not ask any copy of it from me. My impression-whatever it is worth-i

whether to proceed or not; but at an enc

I understand this man visited several of my brother clergymen in the neighbourho

et more evidence of that later, for I'm convinced it has a bearing on the subject of this present inquiry. But a question or t

dley s

me to accept something for the poor box. He struck me a

the solicitor who was

t to ask this witness an

that Gilverthwaite mentioned on his coming to Berwick that he had kinsfolk buried in the neighbourhoo

when they began to be kept, and there is no such name in it. I can also tell you this," he added, "I am, I think I may say, something of an authority on the parish registers of

from that, now?" a

ing-it was not for particulars of his father's family," answered Mr. Ridley. "Th

coroner. "It may have

for particulars of his mother's

t that Gilverthwaite came to this neighbourhood for some special purpose and wanted to get some particular information; and it's more than probable that the man into the circumstances of whose death we're in

notes at the end of the big table whereat the coroner and the officials sat, came up to me, and telling me that they were reporters, specially sent over, one from Edinburgh, the other from Newcastle, begged me to give them a faithful and detailed account of my doings and experiences on the night of the murde

this morning to keep your readers going for a bit. Not a word, Hugh! And as for you, gentlemen, if you want to do somet

" asked one o

ise it abroad as much as you like and can! If they've folk belonging to them, let them come forward. For," he went on, giving them a knowing look, "there's a bigger mystery in this affair than an

en out from Berwick, and as soon as we had started homeward he fell int

fair! I've had two-and-twenty years' experience of the law, and I've known some queer matters, and some dark matters, and some ugly

Lindsey?" I asked, knowing him as

. What was that deep old fish Gilverthwaite after? What took place between Phillips's walking out of that inn at Coldstream Bridge and your finding of hi

hing to, and it would maybe have been best if I had told him of that matter there and then. But there's a curious run of caution and reserve in our family. I got it from both father and mother, and

pers bring any one forward?" he said, pres

was the fourth day after the inquest-I looked up from my desk in Mr. Lindsey's outer office one afternoon to se

to bring this woman up to see Mr. Lindsey. She's just come in fro