A brilliant idea had occurred to Blount as he was on his way to Dover.
He had really nothing, as he had told Carden, in the matter he was
prosecuting, on which to prevent Hall from leaving England, and on the
way down he worried considerably as to how he could keep his man from
getting on foreign soil. Suddenly the duel flashed across his brain, and
before Hall arose in the morning he had by means of messengers obtained
a warrant from a Dover magistrate. He waited, however, until Hall was
about to board the boat, before using it, to make sure that that
gentleman actually intended to quit the country.
As may be imagined Hall was startled on being informed that he was under
arrest, and relieved on learning the cause. Even if his opponent should
die it would not be as bad as what he had at first expected, and he
accompanied Blount back to the hotel in a frame of mind rather cheerful
than otherwise.
At the hotel Blount took Hall to a room and showed him the warrant. It
was all in proper order, as far as Hall could tell, and he could make
no objection to being placed in Dover jail. He would have an examination
next morning, Blount assured him, after he had been locked up, meantime
could he do anything for him. He, of course, had no feeling in the
matter, except perhaps sympathy--for after all it was not really classed
as a crime by society--or if a crime it was certainly that of many a
noble gentleman for ages past.
The tone was as sympathetic as the words were frank, for Blount _could_
talk when occasion warranted; but if he expected to gain Mr. Hall's
confidence through his little speech, he must have felt sorely
disappointed.
Mr. Hall wanted nothing except liberty, and that Blount could not give
him. However, Mr. Blount would oblige him by sending for his attorney,
Mr. Isaac Jacobs, No. 4 Fleet Street, London, for he (Hall) could really
not afford to waste time in Dover.
If Blount was disappointed in his effort to gain Hall's confidence, he
found a crumb of comfort in knowing he was connected with Mr. Jacobs;
for Blount knew the attorney and his record quite well, nearly as well
as Hall himself.
The telegram was sent without delay, and Jacobs came at once, arriving
at Dover late the same night. Blount met him accidentally at the
entrance to his hotel, the nearest to the station.
"Ah! Good evening Mr. Jacobs! Down to see our friend, I suppose?"
Jacobs was almost as startled as his client had been on meeting Blount,
but having nothing particular to fear at the moment, like his client,
quickly recovered himself.
"Yes, Mr. Blount," he replied. "Are you the party in charge?"
"Well, I suppose it might be put that way. But really I'm not much
interested or posted as far as the case goes. A message came across from
Dublin yesterday that there had been a duel fought somewhere over in
that land of fun and fighting, and one of the principals badly hurt.
"The party wanted was our friend Hall, and I was sent after him and got
him here just as he was about starting. I suppose he will be held until
we can get further particulars from the other side, and then we will
send him back."
Mr. Blount, as may have been remarked, could talk a long time and say a
whole lot without telling anything to his auditor.
Mr. Jacobs, however, knew Mr. Blount, and while the latter had not
actually wasted his breath, he did not learn much from the attorney.
"Of course, as I was sent for I came at once," said Jacobs, "but I
cannot see that any thing can be done here if the trouble occurred in
Ireland. As for holding him for further information, I don't know that
you can do that either. However, I can say nothing until I have seen my
client."
As a matter of fact Blount had no legal evidence of the duel. He had, of
course, heard of it, and from more than one source, but no official
information had reached London or any other police office. Blount knew,
therefore, that Hall would be instantly discharged as soon as the
examination was held, which if Mr. Jacobs had his way, as he was pretty
certain to, would be next morning. How to prevent the hearing puzzled
him, and he sat for several hours endeavoring to find a way out of the
difficulty. At length a desperate expedient occurred to him. The
magistrate who had issued the warrant was neither particularly bright
nor learned in the law, but he was most decidedly obstinate, and held
Scotland Yard men in great esteem, not to say reverence. It had suddenly
occurred to Blount to take this worthy gentleman into his confidence,
and although it was past midnight, he acted on the idea at once.
Justice Holland was considerably surprised and at first annoyed at being
disturbed at this late hour, but Blount assured him that nothing except
the importance of his business would excuse his call, and forthwith
unfolded a tale that made the magistrate forget his annoyance, and he
readily agreed to be unable to see the law as Mr. Jacobs did next
day--if it became necessary to listen to that gentleman.
Feeling sure of Hall for at least another day, Blount now set the
telegraph wire at work and commenced sending telegrams in every
direction--London, Dublin, Naas and Hanley Hall--with strict injunctions
to the operator to see that he was not kept waiting for answers should
any arrive by telegraph.
There was only the ordinary number of cases to be tried by Justice
Holland the next day, but the Court officers and regular visitors were
fairly astonished at the care and time he spent over even a plain,
ordinary drunk. He inquired into every thing concerning the present case
and all previous ones, if any.
It was long past the usual hour for adjourning Court, and seeing that
more than half the calendar still remained untried Jacobs began to grow
uneasy. He cursed the "stupidity" of the justice, who was spending more
time on the simplest case that came before him than a London magistrate
would occupy in disposing of the entire calendar, and strangely enough,
Hall's case was the last on the list.
At length he grew so impatient that he addressed the Court and asked if
his case could not be taken up at once. It was an important one, he
said, and involved the liberty of a reputable and responsible gentleman
whose important business was suffering through his absence, and he must
demand an immediate hearing. The Court listened calmly, then informed
Mr. Jacobs that his case would be taken up in the regular order, and
that his client would certainly have a fair and speedy hearing. After
which the Court proceeded with the trial of more cases. At length,
however, the Court could stand it no longer. The announcement was made
that no more cases would be tried that day, that witnesses should be on
hand at the regular hour next morning, and notwithstanding the vigorous
protests of Mr. Jacobs the Court adjourned.
Mr. Jacobs vowed he would compel a speedy hearing. He would get out a
writ of _habeas-corpus_, and did, too, but Blount had gained his point
and Hall was kept in custody another day.