The Old Man in the Corner

, had taken a very considerable amount of trouble in collecting all the evidence they could for the inquest which might throw some light upon Charles Lavender's life

e cries for help, had ridden to the spot whence the sounds proceeded, and had found the prisoner in the tight grasp of Lord Arthur Skelmerton, who at once ac

een the shoulder-blades whilst he was walking, that the wound was inflicted by a la

en friends to dinner, and afterwards bridge was played. He himself was not playing much, and at a few minutes before eleven he strolled out with a cigar as far as the pavilion

chiefly instrumental in identifying the deceased, a 'pal' of his. It was his evidence which first introduced that el

e Ebor, Terry and Lavender were in the b

ps; he had held only a few very small bets against the favourite, and the rest of the day had been a poor one with him

from the other fellows, Lord Arthur Skelmerton must be about stumped. Lavender seemed terribly put out

e made to-day,' he says t

on't,'

ll,' h

then,' I says, 'for every one will be wanting

. 'If he don't pay up willingly, I've got that in my pocket which will make him sit

more to me about that affair. I saw him on the course the next day. I ask

was therefore impossible to know how he would take this account, which threw so serio

e informed the coroner that they proposed to place George Higgins himself in the witness-box, as his evid

repossessing individual, certainly George Higgins, who was still

e cad who haunts the racecourse and who lives not so much by his own wits as by the lack

here at the end of the garden, he explained, on slightly elevated ground, and he could hear and see a group of ladies and gentlemen having tea. Some steps lead down a little to the left of the garden on to the course, and presently he noticed at the bottom of these steps Lord Arthur Ske

as saying very quietly. 'I haven't got the mone

nts to meet, same as you. I'm not going to risk being posted up as a def

nterrupted him ver

good man

lord, it has got at the bottom of it Sir John's signature in your handwriting. Perhaps Sir John, or perhaps my lady, woul

Arthur, 'do you know what this lit

ave that ￡500 I am a ruined man. If you ruin me I'll d

ord Arthur's friends up in the pavilion must have he

ded tongue, I'll give you in cha

top of the steps said: 'Your tea is getting cold,' and Lord Arthur turned to go; but just

hat he knew into some sort of profit. Being a gentleman who lives entirely by his wits, this type of knowledge forms his

outside till I saw him come out. At about ten o'clock I was rewarded for my trouble. He told the hall porter to get him a fly a

arted to run. Of course, I couldn't keep up with it, but I thought I knew which way my gentleman had gone

l at once it seemed to me as if I heard Lavender's voice talking loudly in the distance. I hurried forward, and suddenly

spot, only to find the body of the murdered man lying on the ground. I stooped to see if I c

uttered. You see, by itself his evidence would have been worth very little, but coming on the top of that given by James Terry, its significance-more, its truth-had become glaringly apparent. Clo

ed that at about 10.30 on the Friday evening a 'party' drove up to 'The Elms' in a fly, and as

, but I kept 'im standing at the 'all door, as I didn't altogether like his looks. I took the card in. His lordship and the gentleme

on the card?' here i

was a name I had never seen before. But I see so many visiting cards one wa

aiting, you gave his lordship

t finally he said: "Show him into the library, Chipps, I'll see him," and he got up from t

ind like, and said to me: "Tell that man I'm busy and can't see him," and 'e sat down again at the card table. I went back to

l at what time that was?

ak to 'is lordship I looked at the clo

ewilder the police later on, and that fact was mentioned by Chipps in his evidence. The knife, namely, with which Charles Lavender had been stabbed, and which, rem

Arthur Skelmerton's testimony, not one particle of evidence against him, whilst, as the day wore on and witness after witness was ca

great deal more now that they held a clue in their hands. Directly after the verdict, therefore, which was guardedly d

man in so terrible a position. There was universal sympathy for Lady Arthur, who was in a very precarious state of health. Her worship of her worthless husband was well known; small wonder that his final and awful misd

ept up the bearing of a high-bred gentleman. He was accompanied by his solicitor, S

f passion, and perhaps of fear, killed the blackmailer who threatened him with disclosures which might for ever have ruined him socially, and, having committed the deed and fearing its consequence

is witnesses, and the evidence, which on second hearing

for the defence. Colonel McIntosh, R.A., was the first. He was present at the bachelors' party given by Lord Arthur the night of the murder. His evidence tended at first to

r. Buchanan, 'that Lord Arthur should so suddenly

ly out of his element in the witness-box. 'I don't think that it is a very rare occurrence for rac

rton had some reason for not wishing his wife to kno

er the slightest serious considerati

e point, and allowed the witne

r. Lord Arthur Skelmerton joined me a few minutes later, and we were sitting in the pavilio

t it is." I tried to dissuade him, and certainly made no attempt to follow him, but not more than half a minute could have elapse

rder that his assertions might in some way be shaken by the prosecution, but with military precision and frigid calm

appened, but it was a very dark night and he did not know the grounds very well. While trying to find his way to the garden steps he heard Lord Arthur's cry for help, the tramp of the patrolling constables' hors

eckfontein a year ago; nothing could shake him, and Sir Mar

to the deceased after the latter's visit at the front door of 'The Elms.' He told Chipps that he wouldn't see the visitor, and Chipps went into the hall directly and showed Lavender out t

to eleven, when evidently he went out to join Colonel McIntosh in the garden. Sir Marmaduke's speech was clever in the extreme. Bit by bit he demolis

ively that the accused had been sitting with him, smoking a cigar. It was obvious, therefore, clear as daylight, concluded the great lawyer, that his client was entitled to a full discharge; nay,

plicable coincidences which tend to puzzle the ablest detectives, and cause them to commit such unpardonable blunders as the present one had been. After all, the f

er was discharged. Perhaps it would be invidious to say that he left the court without a stain on his character, for

sworn belonged to Lord Arthur; others, again, reverted to the original theory that George Higgins was the murderer, that he and James Terry ha

ient evidence against Higgins or Terry, and the crime has been classed by