The Old Man in the Corner

  CHAPTER XXXII

  A HIGH-BRED GENTLEMAN

  "The central figure in the coroner's court that day was undoubtedly theEarl of Brockelsby in deep black, which contrasted strongly with hisflorid complexion and fair hair. Sir Marmaduke Ingersoll, his solicitor,was with him, and he had already performed the painful duty ofidentifying the deceased as his brother. This had been an exceedinglypainful duty owing to the terribly mutilated state of the body and face;but the clothes and various trinkets he wore, including a signet ring,had fortunately not tempted the brutal assassin, and it was through themchiefly that Lord Brockelsby was able to swear to the identity of hisbrother.

  "The various employes at the hotel gave evidence as to the discovery ofthe body, and the medical officer gave his opinion as to the immediatecause of death. Deceased had evidently been struck at the back of thehead with a poker or heavy stick, the murderer then venting his blindfury upon the body by battering in the face and bruising it in a waythat certainly suggested the work of a maniac.

  "Then the Earl of Brockelsby was called, and was requested by thecoroner to state when he had last seen his brother alive.

  "'The morning before his death,' replied his lordship, 'he came up toBirmingham by an early train, and I drove up from Brockelsby to see him.I got to the hotel at eleven o'clock and stayed with him for about anhour.'

  "'And that is the last you saw of the deceased?'

  "'That is the last I saw of him,' replied Lord Brockelsby.

  "He seemed to hesitate for a moment or two as if in thought whether heshould speak or not, and then to suddenly make up his mind to speak, forhe added: 'I stayed in town the whole of that day, and only drove backto Brockelsby late in the evening. I had some business to transact, andput up at the Grand, as I usually do, and dined with some friends.'

  "'Would you tell us at what time you returned to Brockelsby Castle?'

  "'I think it must have been about eleven o'clock. It is a seven-miledrive from here.'

  "'I believe,' said the coroner after a slight pause, during which theattention of all the spectators was riveted upon the handsome figure ofthe young man as he stood in the witness-box, the very personificationof a high-bred gentleman, 'I believe that I am right in stating thatthere was an unfortunate legal dispute between your lordship and yourbrother?'

  "'That is so.'

  "The coroner stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment or two, then headded:

  "'In the event of the deceased's claim to the joint title and revenuesof De Genneville being held good in the courts of law, there would be agreat importance, would there not, attached to his marriage, which wasto have taken place on the 15th?'

  "'In that event, there certainly would be.'

  "'Is the jury to understand, then, that you and the deceased parted onamicable terms after your interview with him in the morning?'

  "The Earl of Brockelsby hesitated again for a minute or two, while thecrowd and the jury hung breathless on his lips.

  "'There was no enmity between us,' he replied at last.

  "'From which we may gather that there may have been--shall I say--aslight disagreement at that interview?'

  "'My brother had unfortunately been misled by the misrepresentations orperhaps the too optimistic views of his lawyer. He had been dragged intolitigation on the strength of an old family document which he had neverseen, which, moreover, is antiquated, and, owing to certain wording init, invalid. I thought that it would be kinder and more considerate ifI were to let my brother judge of the document for himself. I knew thatwhen he had seen it he would be convinced of the absolutely futile basisof his claim, and that it would be a terrible disappointment to him.That is the reason why I wished to see him myself about it, rather thanto do it through the more formal--perhaps more correct--medium of ourrespective lawyers. I placed the facts before him with, on my part, aperfectly amicable spirit.'

  "The young Earl of Brockelsby had made this somewhat lengthy, perfectlyvoluntary explanation of the state of affairs in a calm, quiet voice,with much dignity and perfect simplicity, but the coroner did not seemimpressed by it, for he asked very drily:

  "'Did you part good friends?'

  "'On my side absolutely so.'

  "'But not on his?' insisted the coroner.

  "'I think he felt naturally annoyed that he had been so ill-advised byhis solicitors.'

  "'And you made no attempt later on in the day to adjust any ill-feelingthat may have existed between you and him?' asked the coroner, markingwith strange, earnest emphasis every word he uttered.

  "'If you mean did I go and see my brother again that day--no, I didnot.'

  "'And your lordship can give us no further information which mightthrow some light upon the mystery which surrounds the Hon. Robert deGenneville's death?' still persisted the coroner.

  "'I am sorry to say I cannot,' replied the Earl of Brockelsby with firmdecision.

  "The coroner still looked puzzled and thoughtful. It seemed at first asif he wished to press his point further; every one felt that some deepimport had lain behind his examination of the witness, and all were ontenter-hooks as to what the next evidence might bring forth. The Earl ofBrockelsby had waited a minute or two, then, at a sign from the coroner,had left the witness-box in order to have a talk with his solicitor.

  "At first he paid no attention to the depositions of the cashier andhall porter of the Castle Hotel, but gradually it seemed to strike himthat curious statements were being made by these witnesses, and a frownof anxious wonder settled between his brows, whilst his young face lostsome of its florid hue.

  "Mr. Tremlett, the cashier at the hotel, had been holding the attentionof the court. He stated that the Hon. Robert Ingram de Genneville hadarrived at the hotel at eight o'clock on the morning of the 13th; he hadthe room which he usually occupied when he came to the 'Castle,' namely,No. 21, and he went up to it immediately on his arrival, ordering somebreakfast to be brought up to him.

  "At eleven o'clock the Earl of Brockelsby called to see his brother andremained with him until about twelve. In the afternoon the deceased wentout, and returned for his dinner at seven o'clock in company with agentleman whom the cashier knew well by sight, Mr. Timothy Beddingfield,the lawyer, of Paradise Street. The gentlemen had their dinnerdownstairs, and after that they went up to the Hon. Mr. de Genneville'sroom for coffee and cigars.

  "'I could not say at what time Mr. Beddingfield left,' continued thecashier, 'but I rather fancy I saw him in the hall at about 9.15 p.m. Hewas wearing an Inverness cape over his dress clothes and a Glengarrycap. It was just at the hour when the visitors who had come down for thenight from London were arriving thick and fast; the hall was very full,and there was a large party of Americans monopolising most of our_personnel_, so I could not swear positively whether I did see Mr.Beddingfield or not then, though I am quite sure that it was Mr. TimothyBeddingfield who dined and spent the evening with the Hon. Mr. deGenneville, as I know him quite well by sight. At ten o'clock I am offduty, and the night porter remains alone in the hall.'

  "Mr. Tremlett's evidence was corroborated in most respects by a waiterand by the hall porter. They had both seen the deceased come in at seveno'clock in company with a gentleman, and their description of thelatter coincided with that of the appearance of Mr. TimothyBeddingfield, whom, however, they did not actually know.

  "At this point of the proceedings the foreman of the jury wished to knowwhy Mr. Timothy Beddingfield's evidence had not been obtained, and wasinformed by the detective-inspector in charge of the case that thatgentleman had seemingly left Birmingham, but was expected home shortly.The coroner suggested an adjournment pending Mr. Beddingfield'sappearance, but at the earnest request of the detective he consented tohear the evidence of Peter Tyrrell, the night porter at the CastleHotel, who, if you remember the case at all, succeeded in creating thebiggest sensation of any which had been made through this extraordinaryand weirdly gruesome case.

  "'It was the first time I had been on duty at "The Castle,"
he said,'for I used to be night porter at "Bright's," in Wolverhampton, but justafter I had come on duty at ten o'clock a gentleman came and asked if hecould see the Hon. Robert de Genneville. I said that I thought he wasin, but would send up and see. The gentleman said: "It doesn't matter.Don't trouble; I know his room. Twenty-one, isn't it?" And up he wentbefore I could say another word.'

  "'Did he give you any name?' asked the coroner.

  "'No, sir.'

  "'What was he like?'

  "'A young gentleman, sir, as far as I can remember, in an Inverness capeand Glengarry cap, but I could not see his face very well as he stoodwith his back to the light, and the cap shaded his eyes, and he onlyspoke to me for a minute.'

  "'Look all round you,' said the coroner quietly. 'Is there any one inthis court at all like the gentleman you speak of?'

  "An awed hush fell over the many spectators there present as PeterTyrrell, the night porter of the Castle Hotel, turned his head towardsthe body of the court and slowly scanned the many faces there present;for a moment he seemed to hesitate--only for a moment though, then, asif vaguely conscious of the terrible importance his next words mighthave, he shook his head gravely and said:

  "'I wouldn't like to swear.'

  "The coroner tried to press him, but with true British stolidity herepeated: 'I wouldn't like to say.'

  "'Well, then, what happened?' asked the coroner, who had perforce toabandon his point.

  "'The gentleman went upstairs, sir, and about a quarter of an hour laterhe come down again, and I let him out. He was in a great hurry then, hethrew me a half-crown and said: "Good night."'

  "'And though you saw him again then, you cannot tell us if you wouldknow him again?'

  "Once more the hall porter's eyes wandered as if instinctively to acertain face in the court; once more he hesitated for many seconds whichseemed like so many hours, during which a man's honour, a man's life,hung perhaps in the balance.

  "Then Peter Tyrrell repeated slowly: 'I wouldn't swear.'

  "But coroner and jury alike, aye, and every spectator in that crowdedcourt, had seen that the man's eyes had rested during that one moment ofhesitation upon the face of the Earl of Brockelsby."