Part II.
GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY?
A few weeks after the lucky termination of the Sandford affair I wasengaged in the investigation of a remarkable case of burglary,accompanied by homicide, which had just occurred at the residence of Mr.Bagshawe, a gentleman of competent fortune, situated within a few milesof Kendal in Westmoreland. The particulars forwarded to the Londonpolice authorities by the local magistracy were chiefly these:--
Mr. Bagshawe, who had been some time absent at Leamington,Warkwickshire, with his entire establishment, wrote to Sarah King--ayoung woman left in charge of the house and property--to announce hisown speedy return, and at the same time directing her to have aparticular bedroom aired, and other household matters arranged for thereception of his nephew, Mr. Robert Bristowe, who, having just arrivedfrom abroad, would, he expected, leave London immediately for Five Oaks'House. The positive arrival of this nephew had been declared to severaltradesmen of Kendal by King early in the day preceding the night of themurder and robbery; and by her directions butcher-meat, poultry, fish,and so on, had been sent by them to Five Oaks for his table. The lad whocarried the fish home stated that he had seen a strange young gentlemanin one of the sitting-rooms on the ground-floor through the half-openeddoor of the apartment. On the following morning it was discovered thatFive Oaks' House had been, not indeed broken _into_, but broken _outof_. This was evident from the state of the door fastenings and theservant-woman barbarously murdered. The neighbors found her lying quitedead and cold at the foot of the principal staircase, clothed only inher nightgown and stockings, and with a flat chamber candlestick tightlygrasped in her right hand. It was conjectured that she had been rousedfrom sleep by some noise below, and having descended to ascertain thecause, had been mercilessly slain by the disturbed burglars. Mr.Bagshawe arrived on the following day, and it was then found that notonly a large amount of plate, but between three and four thousand poundsin gold and notes--the produce of government stock sold out about twomonths previously--had been carried off. The only person, except hisniece, who lived with him, that knew there was this sum in the house,was his nephew Robert Bristowe, to whom he had written, directing hisletter to the Hummums Hotel, London, stating that the sum for thelong-contemplated purchase of Ryland's had been some time lying idle atFive Oaks, as he had wished to consult him upon his bargain beforefinally concluding it. This Mr. Robert Bristowe was now nowhere to beseen or heard of; and what seemed to confirm beyond a doubt the--to Mr.Bagshawe and his niece--torturing, horrifying suspicion that this nephewwas the burglar and assassin, a portion of the identical letter writtento him by his uncle was found in one of the offices! As he was nowhereto be met with or heard of in the neighborhood of Kendal, it wassurmised that he must have returned to London with his booty; and a fulldescription of his person, and the dress he wore, as given by thefishmonger's boy, was sent to London by the authorities. They alsoforwarded for our use and assistance one Josiah Barnes, a sly, sharp,vagabond-sort of fellow, who had been apprehended on suspicion, chiefly,or rather wholly, because of his former intimacy with the unfortunateSarah King, who had discarded him, it seemed, on account of hisincorrigibly idle, and in other respects disreputable habits. The_alibi_ he set up was, however, so clear and decisive, that he was but afew hours in custody; and he now exhibited great zeal for the discoveryof the murderer of the woman to whom he had, to the extent of hisperverted instincts, been sincerely attached. He fiddled at thefestivals of the humbler Kendalese; sang, tumbled, ventriloquized attheir tavern orgies; and had he not been so very highly-gifted, might,there was little doubt, have earned a decent living as a carpenter, towhich profession his father, by dint of much exertion, had abouthalf-bred him. His principal use to us was, that he was acquainted withthe features of Mr. Robert Bristowe; and accordingly, as soon as I hadreceived my commission and instructions, I started off with him to theHummums Hotel, Covent Garden. In answer to my inquiries, it was statedthat Mr. Robert Bristowe had left the hotel a week previously withoutsettling his bill--which was, however, of very small amount, as heusually paid every evening--and had not since been heard of; neither hadhe taken his luggage with him. This was odd, though the period statedwould have given him ample time to reach Westmoreland on the day it wasstated he _had_ arrived there.
"What dress did he wear when he left?"
"That which he usually wore: a foraging-cap with a gold band, a bluemilitary surtout coat, light trousers, and Wellington boots."
The precise dress described by the fishmonger's errand-boy! We nextproceeded to the Bank of England, to ascertain if any of the stolennotes had been presented for payment. I handed in a list of the numbersfurnished by Mr. Bagshawe, and was politely informed that they had allbeen cashed early the day before by a gentleman in a sort of undressuniform, and wearing a foraging cap. Lieutenant James was the nameindorsed upon them; and the address Harley Street, Cavendish Square, wasof course a fictitious one. The cashier doubted if he should be able toswear to the person of the gentleman who changed the notes, but he hadparticularly noticed his dress. I returned to Scotland Yard to report_no_ progress; and it was then determined to issue bills descriptive ofBristowe's person, and offering a considerable reward for hisapprehension, or such information as might lead to it; but the order hadscarcely been issued, when who should we see walking deliberately downthe yard towards the police-office but Mr. Robert Bristowe himself,dressed precisely as before described! I had just time to caution theinspector not to betray any suspicion, but to hear his story, and lethim quietly depart, and to slip with Josiah Barnes out of sight, when heentered, and made a formal but most confused complaint of having beenrobbed something more than a week previously--where or by whom he knewnot--and afterwards deceived, bamboozled, and led astray in his pursuitof the robbers, by a person whom he now suspected to be a confederatewith them. Even of this latter personage he could afford no tangibleinformation; and the inspector, having quietly listened to hisstatement--intended, doubtless, as a mystification--told him the policeshould make inquiries, and wished him good-morning. As soon as he hadturned out of Scotland Yard by the street leading to the Strand, I wasupon his track. He walked slowly on, but without pausing, till hereached the Saracen's Head, Snow-Hill, where, to my great astonishment,he booked himself for Westmoreland by the night-coach. He then walkedinto the inn, and seating himself in the coffee-room, called for a pintof sherry wine and some biscuits. He was now safe for a short period atany rate; and I was about to take a turn in the street, just to meditateupon the most advisable course of action, when I espied threebuckishly-attired, bold-faced looking fellows--one of whom I thought Irecognised, spite of his fine dress--enter the booking-office. Naturallyanxious in my vocation, I approached as closely to the door as I couldwithout being observed, and heard one of them--my acquaintance sureenough; I could not be deceived in that voice--ask the clerk if therewere any vacant places in the night-coach to Westmoreland. ToWestmoreland! Why, what in the name of Mercury could a detachment of theswell-mob be wanting in that country of furze and frieze-coats? The nextsentence uttered by my friend, as he placed the money for booking threeinsides to Kendal on the counter was equally, or perhaps more puzzling:"Is the gentleman who entered the office just now--him with a foragingcap I mean--to be our fellow-passenger?"
"Yes, he has booked himself; and has, I think, since gone into thehouse."
"Thank you: good-morning."
I had barely time to slip aside into one of the passages, when the threegentlemen came out of the office, passed me, and swaggered out of theyard. Vague, undefined suspicions at once beset me relative to theconnection of these worthies with the "foraging-cap" and the doings atKendal. There was evidently something in all this more than natural, ifpolice philosophy could but find it out. I resolved at all events totry; and in order to have a chance of doing so, I determined to be ofthe party, nothing doubting that I should be able, in some way or other,to make one in whatever game they intended playing. I in my turn enteredthe booking-office, and finding th
ere were still two places vacant,secured them both for James Jenkins and Josiah Barnes, countrymen andfriends of mine returning to the "north countrie."
I returned to the coffee-room, where Mr. Bristowe was still seated,apparently in deep and anxious meditation, and wrote a note, with whichI despatched the inn porter. I had now ample leisure for observing thesuspected burglar and assassin. He was a pale, intellectual-looking, andwithal handsome young man, of about six-and-twenty years of age, ofslight but well-knit frame, and with the decided air--travel-stained andjaded as he appeared--of a gentleman. His look was troubled andcareworn, but I sought in vain for any indication of the starting,nervous tremor always in my experience exhibited by even oldpractitioners in crime when suddenly accosted. Several persons hadentered the room hastily, without causing him even to look up. Idetermined to try an experiment on his nerves, which I was quitesatisfied no man who had recently committed a murder, and but the daybefore changed part of the produce of that crime into gold at the Bankof England, could endure without wincing. My object was, not to procureevidence producible in a court of law by such means, but to satisfy myown mind. I felt a growing conviction that, spite of appearances, theyoung man was guiltless of the deed imputed to him, and might be thevictim, I could not help thinking, either of some strange combination ofcircumstances, or, more likely, of a diabolical plot for hisdestruction, essential, possibly, to the safety of the real perpetratorsof the crime; very probably--so ran my suspicions--friends andacquaintances of the three gentlemen who were to be ourfellow-travelers. My duty, I knew, was quite as much the vindication ofinnocence as the detection of guilt; and if I could satisfy myself thathe was not the guilty party, no effort of mine should be wanting, Idetermined, to extricate him from the perilous position in which hestood. I went out of the room, and remained absent for some time; thensuddenly entered with a sort of bounce, walked swiftly, and with adetermined air, straight up to the box where he was seated, grasped himtightly by the arm, and exclaimed roughly, "So I have found you atlast!" There was no start, no indication of fear whatever--not theslightest; the expression of his countenance, as he peevishly replied,"What the devil do you mean?" was simply one of surprise and annoyance.
"I beg your pardon," I replied; "the waiter told me a friend of mine,one _Bagshawe_, who has given me the slip, was here, and I mistook youfor him."
He courteously accepted my apology, quietly remarking at the same timethat though his own name was Bristowe, he had, oddly enough, an uncle inthe country of the same name as the person I had mistaken him for.Surely, thought I, this man is guiltless of the crime imputed to him;and yet---- At this moment the porter entered to announce the arrival ofthe gentleman I had sent for. I went out; and after giving the new-comerinstructions not to lose sight of Mr. Bristowe, hastened home to makearrangements for the journey.
Transformed, by the aid of a flaxen wig, broad-brimmed hat, greenspectacles, and a multiplicity of waistcoats and shawls, into a heavyand elderly, well-to-do personage, I took my way with JosiahBarnes--whom I had previously thoroughly drilled as to speech andbehavior towards our companions--to the Saracen's Head a few minutesprevious to the time for starting. We found Mr. Bristowe already seated;but the "three friends," I observed, were curiously looking on, desirousno doubt of ascertaining _who_ were to be their fellow-travelers beforeventuring to coop themselves up in a space so narrow, and, undercertain circumstances, so difficult of egress. My appearance and that ofBarnes--who, sooth to say, looked much more of a simpleton than hereally was--quite reassured them, and in they jumped with confidentalacrity. A few minutes afterwards the "all right" of the attendingostlers gave the signal for departure, and away we started.
A more silent, less social party I never assisted at. Whatever amount of"feast of reason" each or either of us might have silently enjoyed, nota drop of "flow of soul" welled up from one of the six insides. Everypassenger seemed to have his own peculiar reasons for declining todisplay himself in either mental or physical prominence. Only one or twoincidents--apparently unimportant, but which I carefully noted down inthe tablet of my memory--occurred during the long, wearisome journey,till we stopped to dine at about thirty miles from Kendal; when Iascertained, from an over-heard conversation of one of the three withthe coachman, that they intended to get down at a roadside tavern morethan six miles on this side of that place.
"Do you know this house they intend to stop at?" I inquired of myassistant as soon as I got him out of sight and hearing at the back ofthe premises.
"Quite well: it is within about two miles of Five Oaks' House."
"Indeed! Then you must stop there too. It is necessary I should go on toKendal with Mr. Bristowe; but you can remain and watch theirproceedings."
"With all my heart."
"But what excuse can you make for remaining there, when they know youare booked for Kendal? Fellows of that stamp are keenly suspicious; andin order to be useful, you must be entirely unsuspected."
"Oh, leave that to me. I'll throw dust enough in their eyes to blind ahundred such as they, I warrant ye."
"Well, we shall see. And now to dinner."
Soon after, the coach had once more started. Mr. Josiah Barnes begandrinking from a stone bottle which he drew from his pocket; and sopotent must have been the spirit it contained, that he became rapidlyintoxicated. Not only speech, but eyes, body, arms, legs, the entireanimal, by the time we reached the inn where we had agreed he shouldstop, was thoroughly, hopelessly drunk; and so savagely quarrelsome,too, did he become, that I expected every instant to hear my realvocation pointed out for the edification of the company. Strange to say,utterly stupid and savage as he seemed, all dangerous topics werecarefully avoided. When the coach stopped, he got out--how, I knownot--and reeled and tumbled into the tap-room, from which he declared hewould not budge an inch till next day. Vainly did the coachmanremonstrate with him upon his foolish obstinacy; he might as well haveargued with a bear; and he at length determined to leave him to hisdrunken humor. I was out of patience with the fellow; and snatching anopportunity when the room was clear, began to upbraid him for hisvexatious folly. He looked sharply round, and then, his body as evenlybalanced, his eye as clear, his speech as free as my own, crowed out ina low exulting voice, "Didn't I tell you I'd manage it nicely?" The dooropened, and, in a twinkling, extremity of drunkenness, of both brain andlimb, was again assumed with a perfection of acting I have never seenequalled. He had studied from nature, that was perfectly clear. I wasquite satisfied, and with renewed confidence obeyed the coachman's callto take my seat. Mr. Bristowe and I were now the only inside passengers;and as farther disguise was useless, I began stripping myself of mysuperabundant clothing, wig, spectacles, &c., and in a few minutes, withthe help of a bundle I had with me, presented to the astonished gaze ofmy fellow-traveler the identical person that had so rudely accosted himin the coffee-room of the Saracen's Head inn.
"Why, what, in the name of all that's comical, is the meaning of this?"demanded Mr. Bristowe, laughing immoderately at my changed appearance.
I briefly and coolly informed him; and he was for some minutesoverwhelmed with consternation and astonishment. He had not, he said,even heard of the catastrophe at his uncle's. Still, amazed andbewildered as he was, no sign which I could interpret into an indicationof guilt escaped him.
"I do not wish to obtrude upon your confidence, Mr. Bristowe," Iremarked, after a long pause; "but you must perceive that unless thecircumstances I have related to you are in some way explained, you standin a perilous predicament."
"You are right," he replied, after some hesitation. "_It is_ a tangledweb; still, I doubt not that some mode of vindicating my perfectinnocence will present itself."
He then relapsed into silence; and neither of us spoke again till thecoach stopped, in accordance with a previous intimation I had given thecoachman, opposite the gate of the Kendal prison. Mr. Bristowe started,and changed color, but instantly mastering his emotion, he calmly said,"You of course but perform your duty; mine is not to di
strust a just andall-seeing Providence."
We entered the jail, and the necessary search of his clothes and luggagewas effected as forbearingly as possible. To my great dismay we foundamongst the money in his purse a Spanish gold piece of a peculiarcoinage, and in the lining of his portmanteau, very dexterously hidden,a cross set with brilliants, both of which I knew, by the list forwardedto the London police, formed part of the plunder carried off from FiveOaks' House. The prisoner's vehement protestations that he could notconceive how such articles came into his possession, excited a derisivesmile on the face of the veteran turnkey; whilst I was thoroughlydumb-founded by the seemingly complete demolition of the theory ofinnocence I had woven out of his candid open manner and unshakeablehardihood of nerve.
"I dare say the articles came to you in your sleep!" sneered the turnkeyas we turned to leave the cell.
"Oh," I mechanically exclaimed, "in his sleep! I had not thought ofthat!" The man stared; but I had passed out of the prison before hecould express his surprise or contempt in words.
The next morning the justice-room was densely crowded, to hear theexamination of the prisoner. There was also a very numerous attendanceof magistrates; the case, from the position in life of the prisoner, andthe strange and mysterious circumstances of the affair altogether,having excited an extraordinary and extremely painful interest amongstall classes in the town and neighborhood. The demeanor of the accusedgentleman was anxious certainly, but withal calm and collected; andthere was, I thought, a light of fortitude and conscious probity in hisclear, bold eyes, which guilt never yet successfully stimulated.
After the hearing of some minor evidence, the fishmonger's boy wascalled, and asked if he could point out the person he had seen at FiveOaks on the day preceding the burglary? The lad looked fixedly at theprisoner for something more than a minute without speaking, and thensaid, "The gentleman was standing before the fire when I saw him, withhis cap on; I should like to see this person with his cap on before Isay anything." Mr. Bristowe dashed on his foraging-cap, and the boyimmediately exclaimed, "That is the man!" Mr. Cowan, a solicitor,retained by Mr. Bagshawe for his nephew, objected that this was, afterall, only swearing to a cap, or at best to the _ensemble_ of a dress,and ought not to be received. The chairman, however, decided that itmust be taken _quantum valeat_, and in corroboration of other evidence.It was next deposed by several persons that the deceased Sarah King hadtold them that her master's nephew had positively arrived at Five Oaks.An objection to the reception of this evidence, as partaking of thenature of "heresay," was also made, and similarly overruled. Mr.Bristowe begged to observe "that Sarah King was not one of his uncle'sold servants, and was entirely unknown to him: it was quite possible,therefore, that he was personally unknown to her." The bench observedthat all these observations might be fitly urged before a jury, but, inthe present stage of the proceedings, were uselessly addressed to them,whose sole duty it was to ascertain if a sufficiently strong case ofsuspicion had been made out against the prisoner to justify hiscommittal for trial. A constable next proved finding a portion of aletter, which he produced, in one of the offices of Five Oaks; and thenMr. Bagshawe was directed to be called in. The prisoner, upon hearingthis order given, exhibited great emotion, and earnestly intreated thathis uncle and himself might be spared the necessity of meeting eachother for the first time after a separation of several years under suchcircumstances.
"We can receive no evidence against you, Mr. Bristowe, in yourabsence," replied the chairman in a compassionate tone of voice; "butyour uncle's deposition will occupy but a few minutes. It is, however,indispensable."
"At least, then, Mr. Cowan," said the agitated young man, "prevent mysister from accompanying her uncle: I could not bear _that_."
He was assured she would not be present; in fact she had becomeseriously ill through anxiety and terror; and the crowded assemblageawaited in painful silence the approach of the reluctant prosecutor. Hepresently appeared--a venerable, white-haired man; seventy years old atleast he seemed, his form bowed by age and grief, his eyes fixed uponthe ground, and his whole manner indicative of sorrow and dejection."Uncle!" cried the prisoner, springing towards him. The aged man lookedup, seemed to read in the clear countenance of his nephew a fullrefutation of the suspicions entertained against him, tottered forwardswith out-spread arms, and, in the words of the Sacred text, "fell uponhis neck, and wept," exclaiming in choking accents, "Forgive me--forgiveme, Robert, that I ever for a moment doubted you. Mary never did--never,Robert; not for an instant."
A profound silence prevailed during this outburst of feeling, and aconsiderable pause ensued before the usher of the court, at a gesturefrom the chairman, touched Mr. Bagshawe's arm, and begged his attentionto the bench. "Certainly, certainly," said he, hastily wiping his eyes,and turning towards the court. "My sister's child, gentlemen," he addedappealingly, "who has lived with me from childhood: you will excuse me,I am sure."
"There needs no excuse, Mr. Bagshawe," said the chairman kindly; "but itis necessary this unhappy business should be proceeded with. Hand thewitness the portion of the letter found at Five Oaks. Now, is that yourhandwriting; and is it a portion of the letter you sent to your nephew,informing him of the large sum of money kept for a particular purpose atFive Oaks?"
"It is."
"Now," said the clerk to the magistrates, addressing me "please toproduce the articles in your possession."
I laid the Spanish coin and the cross upon the table.
"Please to look at those two articles, Mr. Bagshawe," said the chairman."Now, sir, on your oath, are they a portion of the property of which youhave been robbed?"
The aged gentleman stooped forward and examined them earnestly; thenturned and looked with quivering eyes, if I may be allowed theexpression, in his nephew's face; but returned no answer to thequestion.
"It is necessary you should reply, Yes or No, Mr. Bagshawe," said theclerk.
"Answer, uncle," said the prisoner soothingly: "fear not for me. God andmy innocence to aid, I shall yet break through the web of villany inwhich I at present seem hopelessly involved."
"Bless you, Robert--bless you! I am sure you will. Yes, gentlemen, thecross and coin on the table are part of the property carried off."
A smothered groan, indicative of the sorrowing sympathy felt for thevenerable gentleman, arose from the crowded court on hearing thisdeclaration. I then deposed to finding them as previously stated. Assoon as I concluded, the magistrates consulted together for a fewminutes; and then the chairman, addressing the prisoner, said, "I haveto inform you that the bench are agreed that sufficient evidence hasbeen adduced against you to warrant them in fully committing you fortrial. We are of course bound to hear anything you have to say; but suchbeing our intention, your professional adviser will perhaps recommendyou to reserve whatever defence you have to make for another tribunal:here it could not avail you."
Mr. Cowan expressed his concurrence in the intimation of the magistrate;but the prisoner vehemently protested against sanctioning by his silencethe accusation preferred against him.
"I have nothing to reserve," he exclaimed with passionate energy;"nothing to conceal. I will not owe my acquittal of this foul charge toany trick of lawyer-craft. If I may not come out of this investigationwith an untainted name, I desire not to escape at all. The defence, orrather the suggestive facts I have to offer for the consideration of thebench are these:--On the evening of the day I received my uncle's letterI went to Drury Lane theatre, remaining out very late. On my return tothe hotel, I found I had been robbed of my pocket-book, which containednot only that letter, and a considerable sum in bank-notes, but papersof great professional importance to me. It was too late to adopt anymeasures for its recovery that night; and the next morning, as I wasdressing myself to go out, in order to apprise the police authorities ofmy loss, I was informed that a gentleman desired to see me instantly onimportant business. He was shown up, and announced himself to be adetective police-officer: the robbery I had sustained had bee
n revealedby an accomplice, and it was necessary I should immediately accompanyhim. We left the hotel together; and after consuming the entire day inperambulating all sorts of by-streets, and calling at severalsuspicious-looking places, my officious friend all at once discoveredthat the thieves had left town for the west of England, hoping,doubtless, to reach a large town and get gold for the notes before thenews of their having been stopped should have reached it. He insistedupon immediate pursuit. I wished to return to the hotel for a change ofclothes, as I was but lightly clad, and night-traveling required warmerapparel. This he would not hear of, as the night-coach was on the pointof starting. He, however, contrived to supply me from his own resourceswith a greatcoat--a sort of policeman's cape--and a rough traveling-cap,which tied under the chin. In due time we arrived at Bristol, where Iwas kept for several days loitering about; till, finally, my guidedecamped, and I returned to London. An hour after arriving there, I gaveinformation at Scotland Yard of what had happened, and afterwards bookedmyself by the night-coach for Kendal. This is all I have to say."
This strange story did not produce the slightest effect upon the bench,and very little upon the auditory, and yet I felt satisfied it wasstrictly true. It was not half ingenious enough for a made-up story. Mr.Bagshawe, I should have stated, had been led out of the justice-hallimmediately after he had finished his deposition.
"Then, Mr. Bristowe," said the magistrate's clerk, "assuming thiscurious narrative to be correct, you will be easily able to prove an_alibi_?"
"I have thought over that, Mr. Clerk," returned the prisoner mildly,"and must confess that, remembering how I was dressed and wrappedup--that I saw but few persons, and those casually and briefly, I havestrong misgivings of my power to do so."
"That is perhaps the less to be lamented," replied the county clerk in asneering tone, "inasmuch as the possession of those articles," pointingto the cross and coin on the table, "would necessitate another equallyprobable, though quite different story."
"That is a circumstance," replied the prisoner in the same calm tone asbefore, "which I cannot in the slightest manner account for."
No more was said, and the order for his committal to the county jail atAppleby on the charge of "wilful murder" was given to the clerk. At thismoment a hastily-scrawled note from Barnes was placed in my hands. I hadno sooner glanced over it, than I applied to the magistrates for anadjournment till the morrow, on the ground that I could then produce animportant witness, whose evidence at the trial it was necessary toassure. The application was, as a matter of course, complied with; theprisoner was remanded till the next day, and the court adjourned.
As I accompanied Mr. Bristowe to the vehicle in waiting to convey him tojail, I could not forbear whispering, "Be of good heart, sir, we shallunravel this mystery yet, depend upon it." He looked keenly at me; andthen, without other reply than a warm pressure of the hand, jumped intothe carriage.
"Well, Barnes," I exclaimed as soon as we were in a room by ourselves,and the door closed, "what is it you have discovered?"
"That the murderers of Sarah King are yonder at the Talbot where youleft me."
"Yes: so I gather from your note. But what evidence have you to supportyour assertion?"
"This! Trusting to my apparent drunken imbecility, they occasionallydropped words in my presence which convinced me not only that they werethe guilty parties, but that they had come down here to carry off theplate, somewhere concealed in the neighborhood. This they mean to doto-night."
"Anything more?"
"Yes. You know I am a ventriloquist in a small way, as well as a bit ofa mimic: well, I took occasion when that youngest of the rascals--theone that sat beside Mr. Bristowe, and got out on the top of the coachthe second evening, because, freezing cold as it was, he said the insidewas too hot and close"----
"Oh, I remember. Dolt that I was, not to recall it before. But go on."
"Well, he and I were alone together in the parlor about three hoursago--I dead tipsy as ever--when he suddenly heard the voice of SarahKing at his elbow exclaiming, 'Who is that in the plate closet?' If youhad seen the start of horror which he gave, the terror which shook hisfailing limbs as he glanced round the apartment, you would no longerhave entertained a doubt on the matter."
"This is scarcely judicial proof, Barnes; but I dare say we shall beable to make something of it. You return immediately; about nightfall Iwill rejoin you in my former disguise."
It was early in the evening when I entered the Talbot, and seated myselfin the parlor. Our three friends were present, and so was Barnes.
"Is not that fellow sober yet?" I demanded of one of them.
"No; he has been lying about drinking and snoring ever since. He went tobed, I hear, this afternoon; but he appears to be little the better forit."
I had an opportunity soon afterwards of speaking to Barnes privately,and found that one of the fellows had brought a chaise-cart and horsefrom Kendal, and that all three were to depart in about an hour, underpretence of reaching a town about fourteen miles distant, where theyintended to sleep. My plan was immediately taken: I returned to theparlor, and watching my opportunity, whispered into the ear of the younggentleman whose nerves had been so shaken by Barnes' ventriloquism, andwho, by the way, was _my_ old acquaintance--"Dick Staples, I want a wordwith you in the next room." I spoke in my natural voice, and lifted, forhis especial study and edification, the wig from my forehead. He wasthunder-struck; and his teeth chattered with terror. His two companionswere absorbed over a low game at cards, and did not observe us. "Come,"I continued in the same whisper, "there is not a moment to lose; _if youwould save yourself_, follow me!" He did so, and I led him into anadjoining apartment, closed the door, and drawing a pistol from mycoat-pocket, said--"You perceive, Staples, that the game is up: youpersonated Mr. Bristowe at his uncle's house at Five Oaks, dressed in aprecisely similar suit of clothes to that which he wears. You murderedthe servant"----
"No--no--no, not I," gasped the wretch; "not I: I did not strikeher"----
"At all events you were present, and that, as far as the gallows isconcerned, is the same thing. You also picked that gentleman's pocketduring our journey from London, and placed one of the stolen Spanishpieces in his purse; you then went on the roof of the coach, and by someingenious means or other contrived to secrete a cross set withbrilliants in his portmanteau."
"What shall I do--what shall I do?" screamed the fellow, half dead withfear, and slipping down on a chair; "what shall I do to save my life--mylife?"
"First get up and listen. If you are not the actual murderer"----
"I am not--upon my soul I am not!"
"If you are not, you will probably be admitted king's evidence; though,mind, I make no promises. Now, what is the plan of operations forcarrying off the booty?"
"They are going in the chaise-cart almost immediately to take it up: itis hidden in the copse yonder. I am to remain here, in order to give analarm should any suspicion be excited, by showing two candles at ourbedroom window; and if all keeps right, I am to join them at thecross-roads, about a quarter of a mile from hence."
"All right. Now return to the parlor: I will follow you; and rememberthat on the slightest hint of treachery I will shoot you as I would adog."
About a quarter of an hour afterwards his two confederates set off inthe chaise-cart: I, Barnes, and Staples, cautiously followed, the latterhandcuffed, and superintended by the ostler of the inn, whom I for thenonce pressed into the king's service. The night was pitch dark,fortunately, and the noise of the cart-wheels effectually drowned thesound of our footsteps. At length the cart stopped; the men got out, andwere soon busily engaged in transferring the buried plate to the cart.We cautiously approached, and were soon within a yard or two of them,still unperceived.
"Get into the cart," said one of them to the other, "and I will hand thethings up to you." His companion obeyed.
"Hollo!" cried the fellow, "I thought I told you"----
"That you are nabbed at last!" I exclai
med, tripping him suddenly up."Barnes, hold the horse's head. Now, sir, attempt to budge an inch outof that cart, and I'll send a bullet through your brains." The surprisewas complete; and so terror-stricken were they, that neither resistancenor escape was attempted. They were soon handcuffed and otherwisesecured; the remainder of the plate was placed in the cart; and we madethe best of our way to Kendal jail, where I had the honor of lodgingthem at about nine o'clock in the evening. The news, late as it was,spread like wild-fire, and innumerable were the congratulations whichawaited me when I reached the inn where I lodged. But that whichrecompensed me a thousandfold for what I had done, was the ferventembrace in which the white-haired uncle, risen from his bed to assurehimself of the truth of the news, locked me, as he called down blessingsfrom Heaven upon my head! There are blessed moments even in the life ofa police-officer.
Mr. Bristowe was of course liberated on the following morning; Stapleswas admitted king's evidence; and one of his accomplices--the actualmurderer--was hanged, the other transported. A considerable portion ofthe property was also recovered. The gentleman who--to give time andopportunity for the perpetration of the burglary, suggested by theperusal of Mr. Bagshawe's letter--induced Mr. Bristowe to accompany himto Bristol, was soon afterwards transported for another offence.