A stir was perceptible all through the room as Miss Lloyd acknowledged
by a bow of her beautiful head the summons of the coroner.
The jurors looked at her with evident sympathy and admiration, and I
remembered that as they were fellow-townsmen and neighbors they probably
knew the young woman well, and she was doubtless a friend of their own
daughters.
It seemed as if such social acquaintance must prejudice them in her
favor, and perhaps render them incapable of unbiased judgment, should
her evidence be incriminating. But in my secret heart, I confess, I felt
glad of this. I was glad of anything that would keep even a shadow of
suspicion away from this girl to whose fascinating charm I had already
fallen a victim.
Nor was I the only one in the room who dreaded the mere thought of Miss
Lloyd's connection with this horrible matter.
Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Porter were, I could see, greatly concerned lest
some mistaken suspicion should indicate any doubt of the girl. I could
see by their kindly glances that she was a favorite, and was absolutely
free from suspicion in their minds.
Mr. Orville had not quite the same attitude. Though he looked at Miss
Lloyd admiringly, I felt sure he was alertly ready to pounce upon
anything that might seem to connect her with a guilty knowledge of this
crime.
Gregory Hall's attitude was inexplicable, and I concluded I had yet much
to learn about that young man. He looked at Miss Lloyd critically, and
though his glance could not be called quite unsympathetic, yet it showed
no definite sympathy. He seemed to be coldly weighing her in his own
mental balance, and he seemed to await whatever she might be about to
say with the impartial air of a disinterested judge. Though a stranger
myself, my heart ached for the young woman who was placed so suddenly in
such a painful position, but Gregory Hall apparently lacked any personal
interest in the case.
I felt sure this was not true, that he was not really so unconcerned as
he appeared; but I could not guess why he chose to assume an impassive
mask.
Miss Lloyd had not risen as it was not required of her, and she sat
expectant, but with no sign of nervousness. Mrs. Pierce, her companion,
was simply quivering with agitation. Now and again she would touch Miss
Lloyd's shoulder or hand, or whisper a word of encouragement, or perhaps
wring her own hands in futile despair.
Of course these demonstrations were of little avail, nor did it seem as
if Florence Lloyd needed assistance or support.
She gave the impression not only of general capability in managing her
own affairs, but of a special strength in an emergency.
And an emergency it was; for though the two before-mentioned jurors, who
had been intimate friends of her uncle, were doubtless in sympathy with
Miss Lloyd, and though the coroner was kindly disposed toward her, yet
the other jurors took little pains to conceal their suspicious attitude,
and as for Mr. Parmalee, he was fairly eager with anticipation of the
revelations about to come.
“Your name?” said the corner briefly, as if conquering his own sympathy
by an unnecessarily formal tone.
“Florence Lloyd,” was the answer.
“Your position in this house?”
“I am the niece of Mrs. Joseph Crawford, who died many years ago. Since
her death I have lived with Mr. Crawford, occupying in every respect the
position of his daughter, though not legally adopted as such.”
“Mr. Crawford was always kind to you?”
“More than kind. He was generous and indulgent, and, though not of an
affectionate nature, he was always courteous and gentle.”
“Will you tell us of the last time you saw him alive?”
Miss Lloyd hesitated. She showed no embarrassment, no trepidation; she
merely seemed to be thinking.
Her gaze slowly wandered over the faces of the servants, Mrs. Pierce,
Mr. Philip Crawford, the jurors, and, lastly, dwelt for a moment on the
now anxious, worried countenance of Gregory Hall.
Then she said slowly, but in an even, unemotional voice: “It was last
night at dinner. After dinner was over, my uncle went out, and before he
returned I had gone to my room.”
“Was there anything unusual about his appearance or demeanor at
dinner-time?”
“No; I noticed nothing of the sort.”
“Was he troubled or annoyed about any matter, that you know of?”
“He was annoyed about one matter that has been annoying him for some
time: that is, my engagement to Mr. Hall.”
Apparently this was the answer the coroner had expected, for he nodded
his head in a satisfied way.
The jurors, too, exchanged intelligent glances, and I realized that the
acquaintances of the Crawfords were well informed as to Miss Lloyd's
romance.
“He did not approve of that engagement?” went on the coroner, though he
seemed to be stating a fact, rather than asking a question.
“He did not,” returned Miss Lloyd, and her color rose as she observed
the intense interest manifest among her hearers.
“And the subject was discussed at the dinner table?”
“It was.”
“What was the tenor of the conversation?”
“To the effect that I must break the engagement.”
“Which you refused to do?”
“I did.”
Her cheeks were scarlet now, but a determined note had crept into
her voice, and she looked at her betrothed husband with an air of
affectionate pride that, it seemed to me, ought to lift any man into the
seventh heaven. But I noted Mr. Hall's expression with surprise. Instead
of gazing adoringly at this girl who was thus publicly proving her
devotion to him, he sat with eyes cast down, and frowning--positively
frowning--while his fingers played nervously with his watch-chain.
Surely this case required my closest attention, for I place far more
confidence in deductions from facial expression and tones of the voice,
than from the discovery of small, inanimate objects.
And if I chose to deduce from facial expressions I had ample scope in
the countenances of these two people.
I was particularly anxious not to jump at an unwarrantable conclusion,
but the conviction was forced upon me then and there that these two
people knew more about the crime than they expected to tell. I certainly
did not suspect either of them to be touched with guilt, but I was
equally sure that they were not ingenuous in their testimony.
While I knew that they were engaged, having heard it from both of them,
I could not think that the course of their love affair was running
smoothly. I found myself drifting into idle speculation as to whether
this engagement was more desired by one than the other, and if so, by
which.
But though I could not quite understand these two, it gave me no trouble
to know which I admired more. At the moment, Miss Lloyd seemed to me to
represent all that was beautiful, noble and charming in womanhood,
while Gregory Hall gave me the impression of a man crafty, selfish and
undependable. However, I fully realized that I was theorizing without
sufficient data, and determinedly I brought my attention back to the
coroner's catalogue of questions.
“Who else heard this conversation, besides yourself, Miss Lloyd?”
“Mrs. Pierce was at the table with us, and the butler was in the room
much of the time.”
The purport of the coroner's question was obvious. Plainly he meant that
she might as well tell the truth in the matter, as her testimony could
easily be overthrown or corroborated.
Miss Lloyd deliberately looked at the two persons mentioned. Mrs. Pierce
was trembling as with nervous apprehension, but she looked steadily at
Miss Lloyd, with eyes full of loyalty and devotion.
And yet Mrs. Pierce was a bit mysterious also. If I could read her face
aright, it bore the expression of one who would stand by her friend
whatever might come. If she herself had had doubts of Florence Lloyd's
integrity, but was determined to suppress them and swear to a belief in
her, she would look just as she did now.
On the other hand the butler, Lambert, who stood with folded arms, gazed
straight ahead with an inscrutable countenance, but his set lips and
square jaw betokened decision.
As I read it, Miss Lloyd knew, as she looked, that should she tell an
untruth about that talk at the dinner-table, Mrs. Pierce would repeat
and corroborate her story; but Lambert would refute her, and would state
veraciously what his master had said. Clearly, it was useless to attempt
a false report, and, with a little sigh, Miss Lloyd seemed to resign
herself to her fate, and calmly awaited the coroner's further questions.
But though still calm, she had lost her poise to some degree. The lack
of responsive glances from Gregory Hall's eyes seemed to perplex her.
The eager interest of the six jurymen made her restless and embarrassed.
The coroner's abrupt questions frightened her, and I feared her
self-enforced calm must sooner or later give way.
And now I noticed that Louis, the valet, was again darting those
uncontrollable glances toward her. And as the agitated Frenchman
endeavored to control his own countenance, I chanced to observe that the
pretty-faced maid I had noticed before, was staring fixedly at Louis.
Surely there were wheels within wheels, and the complications of this
matter were not to be solved by the simple questions of the coroner. But
of course this preliminary examination was necessary, and it was from
this that I must learn the main story, and endeavor to find out the
secrets afterward.
“What was your uncle's response when you refused to break your
engagement to Mr. Hall?” was the next inquiry.
Again Miss Lloyd was silent for a moment, while she directed her gaze
successively at several individuals. This time she favored Mr. Randolph,
who was Mr. Crawford's lawyer, and Philip Crawford, the dead man's
brother. After looking in turn at these two, and glancing for a moment
at Philip Crawford's son, who sat by his side, she said, in a lower
voice than she had before used,
“He said he would change his will, and leave none of his fortune to me.”
“His will, then, has been made in your favor?”
“Yes; he has always told me I was to be sole heiress to his estate,
except for some comparatively small bequests.”
“Did he ever threaten this proceeding before?”
“He had hinted it, but not so definitely.”
“Did Mr. Hall know of Mr. Crawford's objection to his suit?”
“He did.”
“Did he know of your uncle's hints of disinheritance?”
“He did.”
“What was his attitude in the matter?”
Florence Lloyd looked proudly at her lover.
“The same as mine,” she said. “We both regretted my uncle's protest, but
we had no intention of letting it stand in the way of our happiness.”
Still Gregory Hall did not look at his fiancee. He sat motionless,
preoccupied, and seemingly lost in deep thought, oblivious to all that
was going on.
Whether his absence from Sedgwick at the time of the murder made him
feel that he was in no way implicated, and so the inquiry held no
interest for him; or whether he was looking ahead and wondering whither
these vital questions were leading Florence Lloyd, I had no means
of knowing. Certainly, he was a man of most impassive demeanor and
marvellous self-control.
“Then, in effect, you defied your uncle?”
“In effect, I suppose I did; but not in so many words. I always tried to
urge him to see the matter in a different light.”
“What was his objection to Mr. Hall as your husband?”
“Must I answer that?”
“Yes; I think so; as I must have a clear understanding of the whole
affair.”
“Well, then, he told me that he had no objection to Mr. Hall,
personally. But he wished me to make what he called a more brilliant
alliance. He wanted me to marry a man of greater wealth and social
position.”
The scorn in Miss Lloyd's voice for her uncle's ambitions was so
unmistakable that it made her whole answer seem a compliment to Mr.
Hall, rather than the reverse. It implied that the sterling worth of
the young secretary was far more to be desired than the riches and rank
advocated by her uncle. This time Gregory Hall looked at the speaker
with a faint smile, that showed appreciation, if not adoration.
But I did not gather from his attitude that he did not adore his
beautiful bride-to-be; I only concluded that he was not one to show his
feelings in public.
However, I couldn't help feeling that I had learned which of the two was
more anxious for the engagement to continue.
“In what way was your uncle more definite in his threat last night, than
he had been heretofore?” the coroner continued.
Miss Lloyd gave a little gasp, as if the question she had been dreading
had come at last. She looked at the inexorable face of the butler, she
looked at Mr. Randolph, and then flashed a half-timid glance at Hall, as
she answered,
“He said that unless I promised to give up Mr. Hall, he would go last
night to Mr. Randolph's and have a new will drawn up.”
“Did he do so?” exclaimed Gregory Hall, an expression almost of fear
appearing on his commonplace face.
Miss Lloyd looked at him, and seemed startled. Apparently his sudden
question had surprised her.
Mr. Monroe paid no attention to Mr. Hall's remark, but said to Miss
Lloyd, “He had made such threats before, had he not?”
“Yes, but not with the same determination. He told me in so many words,
I must choose between Mr. Hall or the inheritance of his fortune.”
“And your answer to this?”
“I made no direct answer. I had told him many times that I had no
intention of breaking my engagement, whatever course he might choose to
pursue.”
Mr. Orville was clearly delighted with the turn things were taking.
He already scented a sensation, and he scribbled industriously in his
rapidly filling note-book.
This habit of his disgusted me, for surely the jurors on this
preliminary inquest could come to their conclusions without a detailed
account of all these conversations.
I also resented the looks of admiration which Mr. Orville cast at the
beautiful girl. It seemed to me that with the exception of Mr. Hamilton
and Mr. Porter, who were family friends, the jurors should have
maintained a formal and impersonal attitude.
Mr. Hamilton spoke directly to Miss Lloyd on the subject.
“I am greatly surprised,” he said, “that Mr. Crawford should take such
a stand. He has often spoken to me of you as his heiress, and to my
knowledge, your engagement to Mr. Hall is not of immediately recent
date.”
“No,” said Miss Lloyd, “but it is only recently that my uncle expressed
his disapprobation so strongly; and last night at dinner was the first
time he positively stated his intention in regard to his will.”
At this Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Porter conversed together in indignant
whispers, and it was quite evident that they did not approve of Mr.
Crawford's treatment of his niece.
Mr. Philip Crawford looked astounded, and also dismayed, which surprised
me, as I had understood that had it not been for Miss Lloyd, he himself
would have been his brother's heir.
Mr. Randolph showed only a lawyer-like, noncommittal expression, and
Gregory Hall, too, looked absolutely impassive.
The coroner grew more alert, as if he had discovered something of
definite import, and asked eagerly,
“Did he do so? Did he go to his lawyer's and make another will?”
Miss Lloyd's cold calm had returned, and seemed to rebuke the coroner's
excited interest.
“I do not know,” she replied. “He went out after dinner, as I have told
you, but I retired to my bedroom before he came home.”
“And you did not come down-stairs again last night?”
“I did not.”
The words were spoken in a clear, even tone; but something made me doubt
their truth. It was not the voice or inflection; there was no hesitation
or stammer, but a sudden and momentary droop of Miss Lloyd's eyelids
seemed to me to give the lie to her words.
I wondered if Gregory Hall had the same thought, for he slowly raised
his own eyes and looked at her steadily for the first time since her
testimony began.
She did not look at him. Instead, she was staring at the butler.
Either she had reason to fear his knowledge, or I was fanciful. With an
endeavor to shake off these shadows of suspicion, I chanced to look
at Parmalee. To my disgust, he was quite evidently gloating over the
disclosures being made by the witness. I felt my anger rise, and I
determined then and there that if suspicion of guilt or complicity
should by any chance unjustly light on that brave and lovely girl, I
would make the effort of my life to clear her from it.
“You did not come down again,” the coroner went on pointedly, “to ask
your uncle if he had changed his will?”
“No, I did not,” she replied, with such a ring of truth in her scornful
voice, that my confidence returned, and I truly believed her.
“Then you were not in your uncle's office last evening at all?”
“I was not.”
“Nor through the day?”
She reflected a moment. “No, nor through the day. It chanced I had no
occasion to go in there yesterday at all.”
At these assertions of Miss Lloyd's, the Frenchman, Louis, looked
greatly disturbed. He tried very hard to conceal his agitation, but
it was not at all difficult to read on his face an endeavor to look
undisturbed at what he heard.
I hadn't a doubt, myself, that the man either knew something that would
incriminate Miss Lloyd, or that they two had a mutual knowledge of some
fact as yet concealed.
I was surprised that no one else seemed to notice this, but the
attention of every one in the room was concentrated on the coroner and
the witness, and so Louis's behavior passed unnoticed.
At this juncture, Mr. Lemuel Porter spoke with some dignity.
“It would seem,” he said, “that this concludes Miss Lloyd's evidence
in the matter. She has carried the narrative up to the point where
Mr. Joseph Crawford went out of his house after dinner. As she herself
retired to her room before his return, and did not again leave her room
until this morning, she can have nothing further to tell us bearing on
the tragedy. And as it is doubtless a most painful experience for her, I
trust, Mr. Coroner, that you will excuse her from further questioning.”
“But wait a minute,” Parmalee began, when Mr Hamilton interrupted
him--“Mr. Porter is quite right,” he said; “there is no reason why Miss
Lloyd should be further troubled in this matter. I feel free to advise
her dismissal from the witness stand, because of my acquaintance and
friendship with this household. Our coroner and most of our jurors
are strangers to Miss Lloyd, and perhaps cannot appreciate as I do the
terrible strain this experience means to her.”
“You're right Hamilton,” said Mr. Philip Crawford; “I was remiss not to
think of it myself. Mr. Monroe, this is not a formal inquest, and in the
interest of kindness and humanity, I ask you to excuse Miss Lloyd from
further questioning for the present.”
I was surprised at the requests of these elderly gentlemen, for though
it seemed to me that Miss Lloyd's testimony was complete, yet it also
seemed as if Gregory Hall were the one to show anxiety that she be
spared further annoyance.
However, Florence Lloyd spoke for herself.
“I am quite willing to answer any further questions,” she said; “I have
answered all you have asked, and I have told you frankly the truth.
Though it is far from pleasant to have my individual affairs thus
brought to notice, I am quite ready to do anything to forward the cause
of justice or to aid in any way the discovery of my uncle's murderer.”
“Thank you,” said Mr. Monroe; “I quite appreciate the extreme
unpleasantness of your position. But, Miss Lloyd, there are a few more
questions I must ask you. Pardon me if I repeat myself, but I ask you
once more if you did not come down to your uncle's office last evening
after he had returned from his call on Mr. Randolph.”
As I watched Florence Lloyd I saw that her eyes did not turn toward
the coroner, or toward her fiance, or toward the jury, but she looked
straight at Louis, the valet, as she replied in clear tones,
“I did not.”