HINTS OF EARLY HISTORY.
Alfred Paulton had not said too much of the kindliness of his father
and mother. He left Mrs. Davenport in the drawing-room and knocked at
his mother's door, and explained to both father and mother what had
occurred, and the step he had taken in the matter. After expressions
of surprise and horror at the tragedy at Crescent House, both
applauded his action. Mrs. Paulton then told him to go down to the
guest and say that she would follow him in a few minutes.
When he got back to the drawing-room he found the widow where he had
left her. She was sitting in an easy-chair, her elbow resting on a
table, her head on her hand. She raised her head as he entered.
Otherwise she did not move.
"My mother is delighted you have come," he said. "She will be here in
a few minutes. I see the fire has gone out. I hope you do not feel
the place very cold?"
She looked at him with a stony stare. Her brows were slightly raised,
but around her eyes the lids were strangely contracted. The
expression of the whole face was that of one who suffered pain, but
was not giving attention to the pain. When she spoke, her voice was
dry and hard.
"It is most kind of your mother to interest and trouble herself about
a perfect stranger. I do not feel cold, thank you."
The contraction round the eyes relaxed. A look of intelligence
alarmed came into her eyes, and she asked, in a husky voice:
"Do you know anything of cases such as this? I mean, do you know
anything of the law in such cases?"
"The law!" he said, "the law! In what way do you mean?"
"Oh," she cried, covering her face with her hands, "it is dreadful to
think of--horrible! Can you not tell me," she pleaded, "if--if it
will be necessary to have an----"
She paused and looked at him beseechingly.
"An inquest?"
"Yes."
"Certainly not," he answered promptly. With this beautiful woman
before him it was shocking to think of the ordeal and details of an
inquest. "Mr. Davenport was suffering from a disease of long
standing; it had been particularly bad to-night, and a violent
paroxysm overcame him. My friend, Dr. Santley, will make it right,
and you will be spared all pain that can possibly be diverted from
you."
"Thank you," she said, feebly; and she threw herself back in her
chair.
Nothing further was said until Mrs. Paulton entered the room. The
young man introduced Mrs. Davenport to his mother; then he left to
rouse the coachman for the purpose of sitting up at Crescent House.
As soon as Paulton had arranged this, he hastened back to Dr.
Santley.
"I came as quickly as I could, doctor. That poor woman is in a
dreadful state of mind; she looks to me as if she were losing her
reason."
"H'm," said the doctor, who was sitting on a chair by the lamp on the
table, and had been reading a newspaper he had happened to have in
his pocket. He seemed thoughtful or sleepy; Paulton was not a man of
nice observation.
"Poor thing!" said the latter, compassionately; "she is not only in
great grief for the loss of her husband, but was very uneasy about
the suddenness of his death."
"No wonder," said the doctor drily.
The younger man sat down on a chair and regarded his companion with
surprise. He had known the other for years, and had always taken him
for a simple, sympathetic man. His tone now was one of cynical
distrust, although distrust of what Paulton could not even guess. He
leant forward and peered into Santley's face.
"I told her to make her mind quite easy on the score of the future.
You understand what I mean?"
"She does not want an inquest?"
"Precisely."
"That is unfortunate, for I will not certify."
"What!" cried Paulton, leaning still farther forward, "you will not
certify as to the cause of death? What do you mean?"
He shivered, and looked apprehensively at the body reclining on the
couch.
"I don't know what the cause of death was."
"She said spasmodic asthma."
"A disease that very, very rarely kills."
"I thought that, on the contrary, it was most fatal."
"No. In a paroxysm of coughing, something in the head or chest may
give way, but asthma itself does not kill."
An uneasy expression came into the young man's face, and, looking
straight into the doctor's eyes, he said:
"And in this case what do you think killed?"
"It is impossible to say until after the inquest. I found on the
floor this"--he held a bottle up in his hand. "It is a two-ounce
bottle, empty; it contained chloroform. There is chloroform spilt all
over the beard, shirt, and waistcoat."
"But perhaps the chloroform was administered for the relief of the
dead man?"
"Perhaps so," said Santley, rising; "we shall find out all at
the inquest. I'm off to bed now. Let nothing be stirred here.
Good-night."
As Dr. Santley turned away from the gate of Crescent House, Paulton's
coachman came up and the young man was relieved. He walked home
straight and went to bed.
It was past four by this time, and after the excitement of the night
there was little chance of the young man closing his eyes. His life
up to this had been barren of adventure, and here was he now plunged
into the middle of an affair which would be town talk in twenty-four
hours. It was quite plain to him, from Santley's manner, that the
latter did not think the man had died a natural death, and it was
almost as plain he did not think it was a case of accidental
poisoning or suicide. Gradually, as time went by, it seemed to narrow
itself down to one question: Did or did not that superb woman----?
But no; the mere question was a hideous libel! He wished he could go
to sleep; but sleep would not come. He tossed and tumbled until he
felt feverish. In the heat and hurry of events a few hours old he had
not had time for thought; now he had time for thought, but he did not
want to think. True, he had no personal interest in that silent room
out of which he had stepped a little while ago, but it haunted him,
and lay before his imagination, lighted up with a fierce light which
made every object in it stand out with painful sharpness.
While the actions of which he had been a spectator were going on at
Crescent House, all had been confusion, chaos. Now every object was
firmly defined by a hard, rigid line; every sound had a metallic
ring; every motion went forward with mathematical deliberateness and
precision. And over this scene of rigid forms and circumspect
movement presided the woman, whose dark and lofty beauty had filled
him with amazed reverence.
Murder! Could it be that murder had been done? There could be no
doubt Santley thought so. Murder done by whom? Ugh! How he wished he
had had nothing to do with that house; and yet, it was a privilege
even to have seen her, to have heard her voice, to have done her a
slight service. Above all, it was consoling to think she was now
under this roof. If a fool knew how his thoughts were running now,
that fool might think he was in love with this woman. In love!
Monstrous! He would as soon think of falling in love with a sunset, a
melody, a poem.
Oh, if he could only sleep! Why should he trouble himself about this
matter? Santley said there would be an inquest. That would be trouble
enough for him in all conscience. He, of course, would have to
appear, although he scarcely knew how his evidence could be material.
It must be near six o'clock now. There was no good in staying in bed
any longer; he would get up and go out for a walk. It was dawn, he
felt feverish, and the air would refresh him.
He set off at a quick pace. The breeze was raw and cold. He felt
physically invigorated, but his mental unrest had not abated. Do what
he would he could not banish the scene of the night from his mind--he
could not get rid of the awful suspicion Santley's words had given
rise to. Over and over he told himself that even the doctor had not
explicitly formulated that suspicion. Over and over again that
suspicion would intrude upon his thoughts.
He did not return to the house until breakfast-time. At the
suggestion of Mrs. Paulton, Mrs. Davenport was breakfasting in her
own room, as she was tired and shaken. Alfred had to go over the
whole story once more for his father, but he was careful not to say a
word of the terrible hint thrown out by Santley.
The moment breakfast was over he left home, and, without having made
up his mind as to whither he was going, found himself in front of
Santley's house just as the doctor was stepping into his brougham
bound for his morning visits.
"I say, doctor," he said, getting up close to the other, "what you
let fall about that unfortunate affair at Crescent House kept me
awake all night. You really don't think there has been anything
wrong?"
Santley shook his head gravely as he got into his brougham, saying:
"I don't know, Mr. Paulton; I can't say. But I am sorry you mixed
yourself up with the affair more than was absolutely necessary."
This was but poor comfort to the young man. He found it impossible to
believe any evil of that marvellous-looking woman. If there was
anything in what Santley said it plainly pointed at her; for were not
she and her husband the only people in the house?
He did not care to go home. He could not meet that woman while even
the hint of such a suspicion was in his head. He did not suspect her;
but the suspicion had been spoken to him, it was sounding in his
ears, and he could not bring himself to stand face to face with her
and hear that murmur. He told himself this was an absurd condition of
mind; but he could not help it. What was she to him, or he to her,
that he should thus give way to such feelings? She was a beautiful, a
surprisingly beautiful woman to whom he had rendered a slight
service, shown a little kindness. That was all.
He wandered aimlessly about for an hour, and finally went into town.
Dulwich was intolerable to him. At Victoria railway station he took a
hansom and drove to the Robin Hood Club. It was now between eleven
and twelve. The club had not been long open, and there were only
three members in the place. One of these happened to be Jerry
O'Brien, a young Irishman, an intimate friend of Paulton, reputed to
be clever, and known to be indolent. To him Paulton told the story of
Crescent House, and what Dr. Santley had hinted at.
Up to this Jerry O'Brien had given little close attention to the
story. He was smoking in a huge easy-chair with eyes half shut. The
idea that a woman had poisoned her husband roused even him to
attention, and as Paulton had finished his story he began to ask
questions.
"And so this doctor of yours won't certify to the cause of death, and
thinks your goddess may have had a hand in it!"
"Yes. Isn't it horrible?"
"What is your goddess like?"
"Dark and most lovely. A noble kind of beauty."
"Good figure?"
"Perfect."
"Did you hear her name?"
"Yes; Davenport."
Jerry O'Brien blew the smoke of his cigar away with a whistle.
"Is she English?"
"No. I think Scotch."
"Possibly Irish?"
"Ay, she may be Irish."
"And her husband was an elderly man, with a greyish full beard and
chronic asthma?"
"Yes. Do you know them?"
"By heavens, I do! And I think I know, if there has been foul play,
who cheated."
"Who? Not she?"
"Not she directly, any way, but Tom Blake, the biggest scoundrel
Ireland has turned out for years and years, and an old lover of hers.
I saw him in Piccadilly to-day. He looked as if he was meditating
murder. Poor old Davenport!--I knew him well. He was a simple man.
She must have told Blake of the lonely house. Your doctor is right.
There is reason for suspicion, and I'll be at the inquest. You will,
of course?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Then I promise you will hear an interesting story."
Paulton shuddered.